David Remfry

David Remfry (born 1942 in Worthing, England) is a British painter and curator. He served as the Eranda Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy Schools from 2016 to 2018 and as a competition judge for the Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award in 2021. In 2023 he coordinated the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. A retrospective of Remfry’s work, curated by Dr Gerardine Mulcahy-Parker, is planned for 2025 at Beverley Art Gallery, East Riding.

Career

Remfry moved to Hull aged five and attended Hull College of Art from 1959 to 1964 before moving to London. His first solo show was in London at the Grafton Gallery in 1973 and in the United States at the Ankrum Gallery, Los Angeles in 1980. He has exhibited since then at galleries in London, Holland, New York, Los Angeles and Florida. In 2002 Alanna Heiss curated a show of his work at MoMA PS1, New York. Other exhibitions include the Boca Raton Museum of Art, 1999 and 2002 Butler Institute of American Art, 2003, Ohio, and the Museum of Art - DeLand, 2017 Orlando.

Solo museum shows in the UK include the Usher Gallery, Lincoln (2023), Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Rugby (2023), the inaugural exhibition at the new Royal Watercolour Society Gallery in Whitcomb Street, London (2022), The Lightbox, Woking (2020-21), Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (2015), the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (2005), Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, (1975 and 2005), Middlesbrough Art Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery (1992) and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2003). The National Portrait Gallery commissioned Remfry to paint Sir John Gielgud in 1981 and also acquired his watercolor of Jean Muir.

Awards

Remfry was elected a member of the Royal Watercolour Society in 1987. In 2001 he was awarded the M.B.E. for services to British Art in America by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2006 he was elected a Member of the Royal Academy of Arts, London and in 2007 he was invited to receive Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of Lincoln. Remfry was awarded the Hugh Casson Drawing Prize at the 2010 Summer Exhibition and was Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy Schools from 2016 to 2018. and several Hotel Chelsea neighbours among them April Barton (with Ava), Laura Kaplan (with Oscar) and Drew Straub (with Fuzzy) the philanthropist Agnes Gund (with Tina, Giotto and Bronzino) and Mayer Rus (with Louise).

In 2015 the Royal Academy of Arts, London published the book We Think The World of You, People and Dogs Drawn Together. . Distributed outside the United States and Canada by Thames & Hudson, Ltd London and distributed in the United States and Canada by Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York.

A series of films were produced for the exhibition People and Dogs Drawn Together directed by Simeon Lumgair.

Drawings for Stella McCartney In 2002 Stella McCartney commissioned Remfry to produce a series of drawings of fashion model Tetyana Brazhnyk to be used in the advertising campaign to launch the first collection of her own fashion house in association with Absolut Vodka (which has a history of dramatic and provocative advertising incorporating the work of contemporary artists). McCartney was prompted to commission Remfry after seeing one of his drawings on the cover of the second edition of "The Image" magazine from 1972. (Peter Blake produced the first cover). The retro styling and the sensual mood of these drawings are characteristic of Remfry's work, and also of Stella McCartney's designs, which are inspired by 1960s and 70s fashions.

In addition to appearing in all major fashion magazines, a giant 10-story poster appeared on the side of the Mondrian Hotel LA to coincide with the launch of the project at the Chateau Marmont. McCartney said "Absolut has a long history of collaborating with fashion designers, photographers, painters and other visual artists and I'm excited to join their ranks," said Stella. "I'm particularly excited because this marks the first time that drawings have been used in the campaign."

In September 2003 the Victoria and Albert Museum, London opened Fashion into Art: David Remfry Drawings for Stella McCartney curated by Fiona Leslie. McCartney said on that occasion, "David uses the pencil in a bold and direct way. Yet the result is human, feminine and delicate. These drawings captured a moment in fashion. You can feel the sexual chemistry between the artist and his muse, a style of drawing not often seen, and I admire him for keeping it alive".

A book, Fashion into Art: David Remfry Drawings for Stella McCartney accompanied the exhibition and features an interview with the artist by Lance Esplund .

Work in public collections

Bass Museum of Art, Florida Beverley Art Gallery Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida British Museum, London Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio Contemporary Art Society, London Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England Government Art Collection, UK Ingram Collection of Modern British Art, UK Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, mima England Minnesota Museum of American Art, Saint Paul National Portrait Gallery, London New Orleans Museum of Art Orlando Museum of Art, Florida Pallant House Gallery, Chichester The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Miami Museo Rayo, Roldanillo, Colombia Royal Academy of Arts, London Royal Collection, Windsor, England Royal Watercolour Society, London Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Rugby Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, England Victoria and Albert Museum, London Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, England