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William Gear

Scottish, 1915-1997
William Gear was one of the most international British painters of his generation, and the only British artist to be a member of CoBrA, the radical European movement founded in 1948. Born in Methil, Fife, the son of a miner, Gear studied at Edinburgh College of Art and then briefly in Paris under Fernand Léger. After war service in the Royal Corps of Signals, he worked for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the Control Commission in Germany, helping to recover looted works of art. In 1947 he settled in Paris, where he joined the circle of young abstract painters there and exhibited with the CoBrA artists, including Karel Appel, Asger Jorn and Corneille. Back in Britain, Gear became a figure of national debate in 1951, when his abstract Autumn Landscape won a purchase prize at the Festival of Britain. The award caused a public outcry and questions in Parliament, and Gear became one of the most widely recognised abstract painters in the country. He was curator of the Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, from 1958 to 1964, and then head of fine art at Birmingham College of Art until 1975. His mature style, with bold black structures set against brilliant, broken colour, owes something to stained glass and to the landscape of his native Scotland, while remaining among the most distinctive languages of post-war European abstraction. His work is held in public collections including Tate and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern A
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Spring Passage - Scottish art Abstract Expressionist oil painting Cobra Paris
Spring Passage - Scottish art Abstract Expressionist oil painting Cobra Paris

Spring Passage - Scottish art Abstract Expressionist oil painting Cobra Paris

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

This stunning Scottish Abstract Expressionist oil painting is by noted Scottish artist William Gear. Painted in 1950 it is an early and significant painting which dates to the early ...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist William Gear

Materials

Oil

Black Red Figure no. 2 - Scottish 1957 Abstract Expressionist art oil painting
Black Red Figure no. 2 - Scottish 1957 Abstract Expressionist art oil painting

Black Red Figure no. 2 - Scottish 1957 Abstract Expressionist art oil painting

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

This superb Abstract Expressionist Scottish oil painting is by noted artist William Gear. It was painted in 1957 and is entitled Black/Red Figure no. 2. This abstract composition is ...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist William Gear

Materials

Oil

Diamond Structure - Scottish sixties exhibited abstract art oil painting
Diamond Structure - Scottish sixties exhibited abstract art oil painting

Diamond Structure - Scottish sixties exhibited abstract art oil painting

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

A striking original oil on canvas oil painting by noted Scottish artist William Gear which was an exhibited work and dates to 1968. A stunning abstract painting with fantastic colour...

Category

1960s Abstract William Gear

Materials

Oil

Enigma No. 1 - Scottish 1950's Abstract art oil painting orange black
Enigma No. 1 - Scottish 1950's Abstract art oil painting orange black

Enigma No. 1 - Scottish 1950's Abstract art oil painting orange black

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

This superb Scottish abstract oil painting is by noted artist William Gear. It was painted in 1954, entitled Enigma 1 and is an orange geometric shape on a black background that blen...

Category

1950s Abstract William Gear

Materials

Oil

Abstract Landscape Red Green - Scottish Abstract Expressionist art oil painting
Abstract Landscape Red Green - Scottish Abstract Expressionist art oil painting

Abstract Landscape Red Green - Scottish Abstract Expressionist art oil painting

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

This stunning Scottish Abstract Expressionist oil painting is by noted Scottish artist William Gear. Painted in 1949 it is an early and significant painting which dates to the early part of his career. Entitled Abstract Landscape with Red and Green it was painted during Gear's time in Paris and involvement with COBRA. Mostly red and green shapes are incased in black on a vivid yellow background. A really pleasing composition to the eye and perfectly housed in an ebonised frame, it is an excellent example of Gear's work. Signed and Dated '49 lower right. Inscribed, titled and dated verso. Provenance: Cornish collection. Condition. Acrylic on canvas 25 inches by 20 inches and in good condition. Frame. Housed in an ebonised frame, 30 inches by 25 inches and in good condition. Few British painters have played an active role in the modern abstract movement of post-war Europe. William Gear was the most passionate and committed exception. He continued the tradition of the Edinburgh-Paris axis established by J.D. Fergusson, Samuel Peploe and others, spending vital years between 1947 and 1950 living and working in Paris. Significantly, in recent years, he received the greatest acclaim in France, Germany and the Netherlands. He was born in 1915 in Methil, Fife, into a mining family; the particular landscape of "pitheads, the sea, rocks, castles, trees, storms and poverty" marked his earliest identity with a place and probably remained the most influential to his art. Years later he recalled as a schoolboy visiting the local art gallery in Kirkcaldy and seeing 12 colourful still-lifes by Peploe. Art-history lessons during student years at Edinburgh College of Art, in particular Byzantine classes under David Talbot Rice, also influenced his concern for structure. This had as much to do with the formal language of painting as sheer delight in the medium itself. Gear never missed an opportunity to show people the merits of a well-constructed painting. On a travelling scholarship in 1937, he chose to study with Fernand Leger, described by Gear as "a keystone for me, seldom abstract, rather a degree of abstraction". The Second World War interrupted these formative years and, by 1940, Gear had joined the Royal Corps of Signals. Dispatched to the Middle East, he still had the discipline to paint - mostly works on paper of damaged landscapes - with exhibitions in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Cairo as well as Siena and Florence. His naturally robust and tenacious temperament was profoundly affected by visiting Bergen-Belsen, and this certainly influenced the later experiments with the black armature. As the British officer in Celle, working for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section of the Control Commission, he focused on securing the safety of the Berlin Art Collection in Schloss Celle, and organised an important series of modern art exhibitions, including the rejected work of Karl Otto Gotz...

Category

1940s Abstract Expressionist William Gear

Materials

Oil

Yellow Spike - British 60's Abstract art blue red grey COBRA Scottish artist
Yellow Spike - British 60's Abstract art blue red grey COBRA Scottish artist

Yellow Spike - British 60's Abstract art blue red grey COBRA Scottish artist

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

An original silkscreen print by Scottish COBRA listed artist William Gear. An internationally famous abstract artist, Gear was a member of the COBRA group which was famous in the fif...

Category

20th Century Abstract William Gear

Materials

Screen

Early Spring - Scottish Abstract Expressionist art landscape oil painting
Early Spring - Scottish Abstract Expressionist art landscape oil painting

Early Spring - Scottish Abstract Expressionist art landscape oil painting

By William Gear

Located in Hagley, England

An original oil on canvas by noted Scottish artist William Gear which dates to 1981. Entitled early Spring it is a vibrant and fresh art work with lovely colouring. Signed, dated and titled verso. Provenance. William Gear estate. Royal Birmingham Society of Artists 1981. Condition. Oil on canvas, 48 inches by 32 inches. Excellent condition. William Gear (1915-1997). Few British painters have played an active role in the modern abstract movement of post-war Europe. William Gear was the most passionate and committed exception. He continued the tradition of the Edinburgh-Paris axis established by J.D. Fergusson, Samuel Peploe and others, spending vital years between 1947 and 1950 living and working in Paris. Significantly, in recent years, he received the greatest acclaim in France, Germany and the Netherlands. He was born in 1915 in Methil, Fife, into a mining family; the particular landscape of "pitheads, the sea, rocks, castles, trees, storms and poverty" marked his earliest identity with a place and probably remained the most influential to his art. Years later he recalled as a schoolboy visiting the local art gallery in Kirkcaldy and seeing 12 colourful still-lifes by Peploe. Art-history lessons during student years at Edinburgh College of Art, in particular Byzantine classes under David Talbot Rice, also influenced his concern for structure. This had as much to do with the formal language of painting as sheer delight in the medium itself. Gear never missed an opportunity to show people the merits of a well-constructed painting. On a travelling scholarship in 1937, he chose to study with Fernand Leger, described by Gear as "a keystone for me, seldom abstract, rather a degree of abstraction". The Second World War interrupted these formative years and, by 1940, Gear had joined the Royal Corps of Signals. Dispatched to the Middle East, he still had the discipline to paint - mostly works on paper of damaged landscapes - with exhibitions in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Cairo as well as Siena and Florence. His naturally robust and tenacious temperament was profoundly affected by visiting Bergen-Belsen, and this certainly influenced the later experiments with the black armature. As the British officer in Celle, working for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section of the Control Commission, he focused on securing the safety of the Berlin Art Collection in Schloss Celle, and organised an important series of modern art exhibitions, including the rejected work of Karl Otto Gotz...

Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist William Gear

Materials

Oil

Abstract Composition
Abstract Composition

Abstract Composition

By William Gear

Located in Boca Raton, FL

William Gear RA RBSA (2 August 1915 – 27 February 1997) was a Scottish painter, most notable for his abstract compositions. Gear was born in Methil in south-east Fife, Scotland, the ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract William Gear

Materials

Oil

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William Gear art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic William Gear art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Gear in oil paint, paint, screen print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large William Gear art, so small editions measuring 28 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Syd Solomon, Agnes Hart, and Michael Goldberg. William Gear art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,324 and tops out at $40,754, while the average work can sell for $30,626.

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