Abstract – David Armitage

David Armitage Sans titre – acrylique sur toile – 44’’ X 36’’

is a contemporary artist in east Sussex with a talent for evoking the human condition through the use of colour.

Born in Tasmania, Australia in 1943, he studied at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 1960–5, lived in New Zealand from 1967–73, then settled in Britain. He had many group shows throughout New Zealand, also appearing at Bonython Gallery, Sydney, in 1972, in Young Artists 75 in New York, 1975, and at Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, 1985, in an exhibition of children’s book illustrations. Showed solo with Barry Lett Galleries, Auckland, from 1968, later shows including a shared one at Duncan Campbell Contemporary Art, 1993. All the major public galleries in New Zealand hold his work.

His works have been showcased in exhibitions around the world, while his classic children’s books written by his wife Ronda remain in circulation 45 years after their release. David’s style has shifted and evolved over his 50-year career, owing to David’s bold experimentation and endless practice.

“Subjects range from shrines and prayer flags to medieval illuminations, ethnic art to music and on to much darker, more equivocal images.”

– Eric Buesnel, writer and critic