Of particular importance at the height of conceptual art’s ascendancy was the return of figuration in the 1980s in Germany – Georg Baselitz, Sigmar Polke, Jörg Immendorff, AR Penck and Anselm Kiefer – and in Italy – Sandro Chia, Enzo Cucchi, Francesco Clemente and Mimmo Paladino. The preoccupation with postmodern theory somewhat compromised the appraisal of independent artists such as Kiff, or those working in an expressionistic mode in the 21st century, such as John Bellany. An adequate survey of contemporary painting requires an appraisal of complex and wide-ranging milieu that informs the production of art of the past 40 years.
Opening just days before the publication of Painting Now, 1 a survey of present-day painting, this exhibition, at Marlborough Fine Art, of the work of Ken Kiff (1935-2001) is most timely. Ken Kiff: The Hill of Dreams In the Hill of Dreams, which includes encaustic paintings, monotypes, lithographs, etchings, woodcut and monoprint, Ken Kiff is revealed as an artist’s artist, creating images to draw the viewer in, as if to partake in his adventure
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