Portrait of Bill Gibb
Artist
John Bratby
(Wimbledon, London, England, 1928 - 1992)
Sitter
Bill Gibb
(New Pitsligo, Scotland, 1943 - 1988)
Date1983
Object NameOil painting
Mediumoil on canvas
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 46 cm, Width: 35.3 cm
Frame: Height: 60.7 cm, Width: 50.7 cm
Frame: Height: 60.7 cm, Width: 50.7 cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1992 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions.
Copyright© The Artist. All Rights Reserved 2023 / Bridgeman Images
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG002110
About MeJohn Bratby was the first artist to become a media star with his "kitchen sink" paintings of the 1950s - images of gritty realism that celebrated in paint what John Osborne's Look Back in Anger had done at the theatre. When these early interiors went out of fashion Bratby kept his career going by embarking on a series of over 1500 portraits of pop stars, politicians and businessmen."Some of the people who sat for me were famous, some successful. The qualities I was after were originality and an attitude of being master or mistress of their own destiny - the sort of people who view their lives as different from everybody else's."
The sitter, Bill Gibb found fame in the 1970s as a fashion designer. His romantic creations, which were characterised by his bold juxtaposition of many different fabrics, including patterned textiles, were popularised by the rich and famous of the day. He was a friend and creative partner of the knitwear and textile designer, Kaffe Fassett. His career was brought to an untimely end when he died of cancer in 1988.
More About Me
The texture and vibrancy of the paint and its application perhaps says as much about Bill Gibb as it does about the painter.
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John Phillip
John Phillip
