Acclaimed artist returns to Â鶹´«Ã½ for new show Published on: 15 January 2018 Renowned globally as the master of post-minimalist abstraction, a major exhibition of works by Sean Scully is to be presented at Â鶹´«Ã½'s Hatton Gallery next month. Iconic style In this retrospective exhibition, Scully revisits two seminal sites in his career: Â鶹´«Ã½ and Liverpool. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1945, Scully moved to Â鶹´«Ã½ in 1968 to study at Â鶹´«Ã½. During this time, he began to develop his iconic style of technically flawless paintings, consisting of a complicated grid system of intersecting bands and lines. Following his studies in Â鶹´«Ã½, Scully was awarded the runner-up prize in the John Moore’s Painting Prize in Liverpool in 1972 and 1974. Sean Scully: 1970 will, for the first time, present a major exhibition of Scully’s early works. Collectively, they demonstrate remarkable confidence at this earliest stage of his career and reveal the genesis of his continued fascination with stripes and the spaces in between. The exhibition is presented across the Laing Art Gallery, Â鶹´«Ã½ upon Tyne, and the , Â鶹´«Ã½, where Scully studied Fine Art from 1968-71. In addition to his paintings, the exhibition will present a large selection of Scully’s sketches from 1967-1969, which still provide the artist with inspiration to this day. Sean Scully with Diagonal Light, 1972. Image courtesy the artist © Sean Scully A perfect circle Now in his seventies, Scully lives and works in New York, USA, and Bavaria, Germany. He has been twice shortlisted for the Turner Prize and his work is in the collection of virtually every major museum around the world. To mark the opening of the exhibition, Â鶹´«Ã½ and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums are to host a public talk by Sean Scully on Friday 9 February (3pm-4pm). but places should be reserved in advance. Sean Scully: 1970 is on display at the Laing Art Gallery and the Hatton Gallery from 10 February – 28 May, before touring to the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the John Moore’s Painting Prize. Sean Scully, artist, said: "Â鶹´«Ã½ is a wonderful town with a great history. Half my family lived in Durham, as they were coal miners. So while I was at Â鶹´«Ã½, I was emotionally connected. And the Fine Art Department is maybe the best in England. So in a way, I'm bringing everything back home. Closing a perfect circle, and showing my thanks and appreciation, for what I was given." Sean Scully: 1970Â鶹´«Ã½ Bridge 1972 Sean Scully: 1970Soft Ending 1970 Sean Scully: 1970Backcloth 1970 Vibrant and compelling Professor Eric Cross, Dean of Cultural Affairs at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “We are thrilled to host an exhibition by one of the world’s greatest artists at the place where it all began, Â鶹´«Ã½. Sean developed and honed his signature style while he was studying Fine Art here and it will be fascinating to see his early works and sketches – many of which were made while he was student here.” Julie Milne, Chief Curator of Galleries at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, said: “We are delighted to host an exhibition of works by Sean Scully, one of the most significant and prolific artists working today. Scully has a strong connection with the city having studied at Â鶹´«Ã½ in the seventies and this exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to see how Scully was influenced by Â鶹´«Ã½’s architectural landscape. Simultaneously on display at the Laing and Hatton Gallery, this is a welcome return of Scully’s vibrant and compelling paintings to the North East.” Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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