Martin Bradley

MARTIN BRADLEY (Richmond, England, 1931).
Untitled, 1992, from the “Olympic Centennial Suite.”
Silkscreen print on 270-gram Vélin d’Arches paper, edition 68/250.
Signed and numbered by hand.
Measurements: 90 x 63 cm.
The Olympic Suite consists of 50 lithographs and silkscreen prints selected to represent various contemporary artistic trends. It was published to commemorate the first centennial of the modern Olympic movement. The selected artists work in a wide variety of movements and styles, ranging from Antonio López’s hyperrealism to Sol Lewitt’s abstraction, including Abstract Expressionism, Arden Quin’s Geometrism, Conceptual Art, Pop Art, the New Realism of Baldaccini and Rotella, and the New Fauvism of Dokoupil, among others. Among the artists represented are creators of great international renown, widely recognized by critics.
A rebellious spirit, Martin Bradley began his career as an artist at a very young age, settling in London in 1949. In the mid-1950s, Bradley formed a lasting friendship with the writers of “The Angry Young Men” group—figures of great significance in the British literary revival—and met other young painters there, such as Philip Martin and Alan Davie. In 1961, he received a grant to settle in Brazil, where he achieved great success; this led him, upon his return to Europe, to exhibit in the historic “Arte e Contemplazione” exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice. Following her success in Italy and Spain, Bradley traveled the world, passing through Turkey, Afghanistan, India, and Nepal, and became fascinated by the Far East. At first, this artist’s work exhibited a self-destructive tendency, though it evolved into pieces characterized by a fresh style, vibrant colors, extreme fantasy, and a charming appearance, resulting in works that are part of the British Pop Art movement. However, beneath this positivism lie a series of graphic elements, signs, and symbols that allude to critiques of traditional customs and reflections on the passage of time—characteristics that make Bradley’s paintings tremendously interesting works full of nuance.