Alan Gouk is one of the most respected painters in the country. He was a prize-winner in the John Moores in 1967 and 2002 and his work is represented in the Tate Modern Gallery.

“Alan Gouk gives the impression of being completely anarchic about what he will allow in as subject matter and influence, but completely dignified in his expression of these things.

The fact that his paintings can sometimes seem slightly monstrous - bizarre, or guaranteed not to be charming - as well as subtle, beautiful, controlled and ordered, is something to be celebrated rather than feared.”

Matthew Collings, November 2002
John Moores 22, Jury Member

BIOGRAPHY

Alan Gouk was born in Belfast in 1939. He studied architecture at Glasgow School of Art 1957-59 and psychology and philosophy at Edinburgh University 1961-64. His first group show was John Moores 6 1967, in which he was a prizewinner. He taught sculpture at St. Martins School of Art 1970-89, since when he has painted in London and Scotland.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

“My concerns are the shaping and modelling of space, or the pictorial sculpting of space, and a natural luminosity of tone-colour. Otherwise I have no conscious aims, no intentions, but move from immediate impulse to immediate impulse with ‘utter directness’ in all directions at once. I try only to bring together disparate areas of experience, the more improbable the better. This year it has been the influence of the planet Venus in October/November. The sonorities of Roberto Gerhard’s astrological works, Libra, Gemini and Leo. Moths and their English nomenclature - ‘Hoary Footman’ (the Moores 2002 prizewinner) is the name of a moth - so much more earth and suggestive than butterflies, and more beautiful.”

Text taken from John Moores 22 Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1963
57 Gallery, Edinburgh

1987
Traverse Theatre Foyer, Edinburgh

1988
Smiths Gallery, London

1989
Sandra Higgins Fine Arts, London
Art Line Gallery, London
Goldsmith’s Gallery, University of London

1994
East West Gallery, London

1995
“The St. Cyrus Series”, Flowers East Gallery, London

2000
Gallery M, London

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1967
John Moores Exhibition, Liverpool, (prizewinner)

1968
“Preview”, Camden Arts Centre, London

1970
“Nine Painters”, Hayward Gallery, London

1971
Museum of Modern Art Oxford with Geoff Rigden, Basil Beattie and John McLean

1972
Hayward Gallery, London with Gillian Ayres and John Golding

1974
Chapter Art Centre, Cardiff, with Fred Pollock

1975
Annual Exhibition Stockwell Depot

1977
“Four Abstract Painters”, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

1979
“Two from Stockwell”, Leeds City Art Gallery

1981
“Painters and Sculptors from the Greenwich Studios, Woodlands Gallery

1982
“Woodlands Gallery, Blackheath, with Geoff Rigden

1987
Riverside Open, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith
“Artist of the Day”, Angela Flowers Gallery, London

1988
The Caro Collection at Wolfson College, Oxford
Mixed Summer Show, Fuse Gallery

1989
“Scottish Art since 1900”, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art,
Edinburgh
“The Abstract Connection”, Flowers East, London

1990
“Scottish Art 1900-1990”, Scottish Gallery, London
Riverside Open, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith
“Colour in Modern Painting”, Stoke City Museum and Art Gallery

1992
“Summer Seen”, William Jackson Gallery, London

1993
“British Painterly Abstraction”, New Displays, Tate Gallery, London

1994
“British Abstract Art Part 1: Painting”, Flowers East and Flowers East at London Fields
Summer Show, Anna Bornholt Associates, London

1996
New Paintings, Flowers East, London
“British Abstract Painting Part III”, Flowers East, London

1997
Angela Flowers Gallery 1997, Flowers East at London Fields
Recent Paintings, Flowers East at London Fields
“New Abstract Paintings”, Riverside Studios, London

1998
“Small is Beautiful, Part XVI: Music”, Flowers East at London Fields

1999
“Ten New Abstract Paintings”, Flowers East, London
“Small is Beautiful, Part 1: Abstract”, Flowers West, Santa Monica, CA

2000
Angela Flowers Gallery 30th Anniversary Exhibition, Flowers East,
London and Flowers West, Santa Monica, CA

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Arts Council of Great Britain
British Council
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Flemings
Midland-Montagu International, Aurora, New Zealand
Scottish Arts Council
Tate Gallery
Warwick Arts Trust
Westdeutsche Landesbank, London