Saatchi Yates announces a groundbreaking solo exhibition, posthumously showcasing Neil Stokoe's prolific works spanning the 1960s to the 1990s. This revelation follows the success of the gallery's previous exhibition, Bathers, featuring Stokoe's Floating Figure II. The gallery now undertakes the representation of Stokoe's estate, collaborating with his family to bring his remarkable yet largely unknown paintings to a broader audience.
Neil Stokoe, a figure long recognized as the hidden giant within the 'Golden Circle' at the Royal College of Art (RCA), shared contemporaneity with luminaries like David Hockney, Frank Bowling, R.B. Kitaj, Allen Jones, and Patrick Caulfield. Despite encouragement from his close friend Francis Bacon to exhibit, Stokoe chose to remain elusive within the vibrant London art scene of the 1960s, a decision contributing to his relative obscurity. Only in 2002, after his retirement, did Stokoe unveil his work, providing insight into a solitary and intensely focused artistic life in his west London studio.
This upcoming exhibition marks Stokoe's first solo showcase since his passing in 2019. It features fourteen major paintings from his estate, some of which have never before been publicly displayed. The collection serves as a comprehensive retrospective, encapsulating the essence and evolution of Stokoe's artistic journey over multiple decades.
Stokoe's invigorating style transcends temporal boundaries. Many paintings within the exhibition delve into psychologically charged interior spaces, emblematic of the artistic trends of the 1960s and 1970s. Stokoe's depictions of interiors often drew inspiration from his favorite architect, Richard Meier, beautifully rendered in lush oil on canvas. This period showcases a mastery of form and a keen understanding of spatial dynamics.
The exhibition also highlights Stokoe's evolution into more experimental realms during the 1980s and 1990s. Gestural paintwork, featuring clean, graphic lines, and the sharp, bright hues synonymous with Pop Art, mark this phase of his artistic exploration. The painting "Spiral Staircase with Two Figures" exemplifies this period's vibrancy and departure from earlier styles. Despite the experimental shift, echoes of familiar subjects and motifs from his earlier works persist, a testament to Stokoe's continual engagement with his artistic roots.
Stokoe's artistic journey reveals a nuanced exploration of landscape architecture, influenced by his formative years. The convergence of his early inspirations and later experiments is evident in the coherence of themes across the decades represented in this exhibition.
In presenting this posthumous showcase, Saatchi Yates not only honors Neil Stokoe's legacy but also affords art enthusiasts a unique opportunity to witness the evolution of an artist who, for much of his life, chose solitude over the spotlight. The exhibition promises to unveil hidden gems from the artist's repertoire, providing a deeper understanding of Stokoe's contribution to the art world and his enduring impact on the trajectory of contemporary art.
