Born in Wales, John Beard is a prestigious Sydney and London based artist who specialises in abstraction and portraiture. At 19 years old, Beard won the Welsh National Art Scholarship, going on to study at the Royal College of Art in London.

In 1993, Beard moved to Portugal where he resided close to Sintra on the north coast of Lisbon. It was there that he encountered the rock formation of Adraga – a vision that would come to recur through his practice, including in this work. For Beard, the rock – stationed in the ocean – appeared connected to all life. It had an “impregnable majesty, a lifeless finality animated and metamorphosed through light. The light revealed the energy and force of the sea - an orchestration of submission and reaffirmation."

His ongoing investigations into the rock evolved into investigations into representation itself. Presented here in pattern, the Adraga rock is abstract and glacial, the salt of the ocean creating dimples and sun, scattered lights.

In 2000, Beard’s work Wanganui Heads was selected to represent the year 1998 at The London National Portrait Gallery's exhibition Painting the Century, a Hundred years of Portrait Masterpieces. In 2006, he won the Wynne Prize and in 2007, was awarded the Archibald Prize for his portrait of installation artist Janet Lawrence. In 2011 a major monograph on the artist was published and currently, his work resides in numerous public collections across Australia and abroad.

For collectors of abstract art, ‘Adraga (Grey Blue)’ is a compelling find.

John BEARD (1943 - )
'Adraga (Grey Blue)' 1999
screenprint on paper
Edition of 20
Image Size: 75 x 75 cm
Dimensions: 75 x 75 cm
Signed: Initialed by the artist
 
Comes with Letter of Provenance
 
This work has been printed onto beautiful, heavy paper with raw edges.
 
Condition: Excellent
 
(c) The Artist or Assignee