Geoffrey Humphries

Featuring illuminative essays by figures from the international art world, this is a retrospective of the works that artist Geoffrey Humphries produced in his fifty years in Venice's cultural scene. Renowned English artist Geoffrey Humphries (1945- ) is arguably the greatest figurative painter living and working in Venice today. A master of oil painting, portraiture, watercolour and drawing, this is the first publication to bring together the many facets of his work. Humphries' Venetian studio has been the setting for a cast of remarkable characters for more than 50 years, from rock stars, royalty and writers to eminent Venetians, artists and musicians several of whose portraits are featured here. His legendary soirées have meanwhile provided the inspiration for his kaleidoscopic theatre pieces - surreal fantasies which recall the depraved allure of Secessionist Vienna and the cabarets of the Weimar Republic; while the shimmering light and jewel tones of Venice continually inspire his watercolour portraits of the city. However, Humphries is perhaps best known for his figurative works his sensual nuance of line capturing the essence of his subjects, whether in charcoal or in oils, often transforming them into playful conversation pieces with his characteristic inventiveness and wit. The extraordinary variety and beauty of Geoffrey Humphries' work is showcased here in this retrospective portfolio, which chronicles his remarkable life and oeuvre, and serves as a homage to his adopted city - Venice, a fusion of past and present, the city of both yesterday and today.