Martin Bradley

MARTIN BRADLEY (Richmond, England, 1931).
Untitled, 1992, from the "Suite Olympic Centennial".
Silkscreen on Vélin d'Arches 270 gsm paper, copy 220/250.
Signed and justified by hand.
Size: 90 x 63 cm.
The Olympic Suite is made up of 50 lithographs and silkscreen prints chosen to represent various contemporary artistic trends. It was published to commemorate the first centenary of modern Olympism. The artists chosen work in very diverse movements and styles, from the hyperrealism of Antonio López to the abstraction of Sol Lewitt, including abstract expressionism, the geometrism of Arden Quin, conceptual art, pop art, the new realism of Baldaccini and Rotella, and the new fauvism of Dokoupil, among others. Among the artists represented there are creators of great international renown, widely recognised by the critics.
With a rebellious spirit, Martin Bradley began his career as an artist at a very early age, settling in London in 1949. In the mid-1950s Bradley struck up a lasting friendship with the writers of the group "The Angry Young Men", writers of great importance in the British literary revival, where he met other young painters such as Phililip Martin and Alan Davie. In 1961 he received a grant to settle in Brazil, where he achieved great success and which led him to exhibit, on his return to Europe, in the historic exhibition "Arte e Contemplazione" at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice. Following her success in Italy and Spain, Bradley travelled the world, passing through Turkey, Afghanistan, India and Nepal, and became fascinated by the Far East. At first, the artist's work shows a self-destructive tendency, but it evolves into works of fresh workmanship, lively colour, extreme fantasy and sympathetic appearance, resulting in works that form part of the English Pop movement. However, in contrast to this positivism, a series of graphics, signs and symbologies can be discerned which allude to criticisms of traditional customs and reflections on the passage of time, characteristics which make Bradley's paintings tremendously interesting works full of nuances.