Abstract Composition
![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://kynancefineart.com/modern-british/abstract-composition&media=https://seek-unique-co.s3.amazonaws.com/kynance-736342-Kar2w/stock/678e2fdb38971_image_url_Mainimage.jpeg&description=Oil on canvasSigned and dated '62, signed and dated verso "July '62"91 x 61 cm (36 x 24 ins)William Gear was born in Methil, south-east Fife, Scotland, son of Janet and his father, Porteous Gear was a coal miner.He attended Buckhaven High School where he was awarded the Dux Arts Medal in 1932.From 1932 – 1936 he studied at Edinburgh College of Art. Wilhelmina Barns-Graham was a fellow student and Samuel John Peploe his teacher. In 1934 he exhibited with the Royal Scottish Academy and Society of Scottish Artists.Gear was awarded a travelling scholarship and during 1937-38, he visited France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece and Turkey. Whilst he was in France, he studied in Paris with Fernand Leger. At summer school in Arbroath in 1938 he met Robert Colquhoun and had a brief interest in Surrealism which led him to exhibit with the New Era Group in Edinburgh in 1939.In 1940, Gear was called up for military service, commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1941 and served with the Royal Corps of Signals. He served in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Cyprus before participating in the Allied invasion of Italy, where in Siena & Florence, he held his first solo exhibitions in 1944. After VE day he worked for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section (MFAA) with responsibility for securing art works in Lower Saxony in the British Zone of occupied post-war Germany. He also promoted local artists during his travels through Europe.William Gear is best known for his abstract compositions and was regarded as being one of the most avant-garde painters of his day, which on occasions incited public debate about the merits of abstract art. He met many well-known artists of the post-war generation in Paris, where he lived and worked between 1947 – 1950. This included names such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Alan Davie, De Stael, Dubuffet, Hartung, Poliakoff, Soulages and Zadkine, to mention a mere few. Whilst he was living in Paris, Gear’s work became more abstract with irrational shapes and a bold palette.In 1948, Gear had his first solo exhibitions in Paris and London and went to St Ives to visit Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton, Peter Lanyon and Bryan Winter. He also met Appel, Constant, Corneille and Jorn. His friend Stephen Gilbert introduced him to CoBrA, which resulted in exhibiting with the north European avant-garde art group in early shows in Copenhagen and Amsterdam in 1949. To add to these incredible connections, Gear was recommended to Betty Parsons, a prominent New York Art Dealer and champion of modernism resulting in a co-exhibition in New York in 1949 with Jackson Pollack. He was the only non-American to ever exhibit with Pollack. He married Charlotte Chertok, an American with whom he had two sons, David & Robert.In 1950 Gear moved his family to Loosley Row, Buckinghamshire, then to the nearby Speen Farm, Flowers Bottom, Buckinghamshire. In 1953 he moved to Littlebourne in Kent and was elected to the London Group. Gear was the pioneer of prints using the silk screen technique and at this time began receiving commissions for fabric and wallpaper designs, producing around 100 over the next nine years. In 1954 he had an exhibition with Ivon Hitchens in London and in 1957 with Sandra Blow in New York.From 1958 – 1964, William Gear was the curator of the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne and largely responsible for the fine collection of art which it amassed, despite the local objections to many of the works purchased, many of whom were his artist friends. This work, simply titled “Abstract Composition” was painted in July 1962, at the time he was curating at the Towner Gallery. One can see the many influences in this painting, of artists he had met and admired throughout his time in Europe and New York. His work became famous for the black armatures against bold and vibrant colours which created the illusion of light pulsating through foliage. Due to the fierce criticism to every purchase he made during his time at Towner, he became depressed by the constant opposition and resigned. In 1960, he entered two paintings into the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy which met with much derision from the press. In 1962, his submissions were rejected by the RA which resulted in the Sculptor F E McWilliam giving in his resignation. One could argue that all the press and public outcry to his work at the time, was only serving to give it the attention it deserved and was a form of free publicity.During the years 1966 to 1967, Gear was Guest Lecturer at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and the University of Western Australia, Perth. He was presented the David Cargill Award from the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts in 1967.He became a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1966. Gear then became the Head of the Faculty of Fine Art at Birmingham College of Art, a post from which he retired in 1975. He was awarded the David Cargill Award from the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts in 1967, elected FRSA in 1971 and presented with the Lorne Fellowship in 1975.In 1982-83 he participated in a touring exhibition of CoBrA artists’ work after which he exhibited in several countries with works of the CoBrA movement. In 1994 he was awarded the Royal Academy’s Sir Howard Barker Scholarship and an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Central England. In 1995 he attended the opening of the new CoBrA Museum in Amstelveen, Holland and was elected as a senior member of the RA when he was 80.The Redfern Gallery put on a Golden Jubilee of William Gear’s work, celebrating 50 years of his work. Alas, Gear died on 27th February 1997 in Birmingham two days before the opening and thus it became a memorial exhibition instead. He had lived and worked in Birmingham since 1964 and his house was accorded a blue plaque in 2018, the year after a retrospective of his work was held at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Gallery. In 2019 another blue plaque was added to Gildredge Manor, Eastbourne, the former Towner Gallery of which he was curator from 1958-1964 building an impressive collection despite major criticism of his selection.William Gear will be remembered for his great contribution to abstract art and as one of the great avant-garde figures of his time. ){kind=link}
Oil on canvas
Signed and dated '62, signed and dated verso "July '62"
91 x 61 cm (36 x 24 ins)
William Gear was born in Methil, south-east Fife, Scotland, son of Janet and his father, Porteous Gear was a coal miner.
He attended Buckhaven High School where he was awarded the Dux Arts Medal in 1932.
From 1932 – 1936 he studied at Edinburgh College of Art. Wilhelmina Barns-Graham was a fellow student and Samuel John Peploe his teacher. In 1934 he exhibited with the Royal Scottish Academy and Society of Scottish Artists.
Gear was awarded a travelling scholarship and during 1937-38, he visited France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece and Turkey. Whilst he was in France, he studied in Paris with Fernand Leger. At summer school in Arbroath in 1938 he met Robert Colquhoun and had a brief interest in Surrealism which led him to exhibit with the New Era Group in Edinburgh in 1939.
In 1940, Gear was called up for military service, commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1941 and served with the Royal Corps of Signals. He served in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Cyprus before participating in the Allied invasion of Italy, where in Siena & Florence, he held his first solo exhibitions in 1944. After VE day he worked for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section (MFAA) with responsibility for securing art works in Lower Saxony in the British Zone of occupied post-war Germany. He also promoted local artists during his travels through Europe.
William Gear is best known for his abstract compositions and was regarded as being one of the most avant-garde painters of his day, which on occasions incited public debate about the merits of abstract art. He met many well-known artists of the post-war generation in Paris, where he lived and worked between 1947 – 1950. This included names such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Alan Davie, De Stael, Dubuffet, Hartung, Poliakoff, Soulages and Zadkine, to mention a mere few. Whilst he was living in Paris, Gear’s work became more abstract with irrational shapes and a bold palette.
In 1948, Gear had his first solo exhibitions in Paris and London and went to St Ives to visit Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton, Peter Lanyon and Bryan Winter. He also met Appel, Constant, Corneille and Jorn. His friend Stephen Gilbert introduced him to CoBrA, which resulted in exhibiting with the north European avant-garde art group in early shows in Copenhagen and Amsterdam in 1949. To add to these incredible connections, Gear was recommended to Betty Parsons, a prominent New York Art Dealer and champion of modernism resulting in a co-exhibition in New York in 1949 with Jackson Pollack. He was the only non-American to ever exhibit with Pollack. He married Charlotte Chertok, an American with whom he had two sons, David & Robert.
In 1950 Gear moved his family to Loosley Row, Buckinghamshire, then to the nearby Speen Farm, Flowers Bottom, Buckinghamshire. In 1953 he moved to Littlebourne in Kent and was elected to the London Group. Gear was the pioneer of prints using the silk screen technique and at this time began receiving commissions for fabric and wallpaper designs, producing around 100 over the next nine years. In 1954 he had an exhibition with Ivon Hitchens in London and in 1957 with Sandra Blow in New York.
From 1958 – 1964, William Gear was the curator of the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne and largely responsible for the fine collection of art which it amassed, despite the local objections to many of the works purchased, many of whom were his artist friends. This work, simply titled “Abstract Composition” was painted in July 1962, at the time he was curating at the Towner Gallery. One can see the many influences in this painting, of artists he had met and admired throughout his time in Europe and New York. His work became famous for the black armatures against bold and vibrant colours which created the illusion of light pulsating through foliage. Due to the fierce criticism to every purchase he made during his time at Towner, he became depressed by the constant opposition and resigned. In 1960, he entered two paintings into the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy which met with much derision from the press. In 1962, his submissions were rejected by the RA which resulted in the Sculptor F E McWilliam giving in his resignation. One could argue that all the press and public outcry to his work at the time, was only serving to give it the attention it deserved and was a form of free publicity.
During the years 1966 to 1967, Gear was Guest Lecturer at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and the University of Western Australia, Perth. He was presented the David Cargill Award from the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts in 1967.
He became a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1966. Gear then became the Head of the Faculty of Fine Art at Birmingham College of Art, a post from which he retired in 1975. He was awarded the David Cargill Award from the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts in 1967, elected FRSA in 1971 and presented with the Lorne Fellowship in 1975.
In 1982-83 he participated in a touring exhibition of CoBrA artists’ work after which he exhibited in several countries with works of the CoBrA movement. In 1994 he was awarded the Royal Academy’s Sir Howard Barker Scholarship and an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Central England. In 1995 he attended the opening of the new CoBrA Museum in Amstelveen, Holland and was elected as a senior member of the RA when he was 80.
The Redfern Gallery put on a Golden Jubilee of William Gear’s work, celebrating 50 years of his work. Alas, Gear died on 27th February 1997 in Birmingham two days before the opening and thus it became a memorial exhibition instead. He had lived and worked in Birmingham since 1964 and his house was accorded a blue plaque in 2018, the year after a retrospective of his work was held at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Gallery. In 2019 another blue plaque was added to Gildredge Manor, Eastbourne, the former Towner Gallery of which he was curator from 1958-1964 building an impressive collection despite major criticism of his selection.
William Gear will be remembered for his great contribution to abstract art and as one of the great avant-garde figures of his time.