Next Contemporaries Palm Beach

FINDLAY GALLERIES PALM BEACH

N EX T

CONTEMPORARIES

HENRIK SIMONSEN

AUGUST 5

THOMAS ROUXEVILLE

AUGUST 19

NOAH LANDFIELD

SEPTEMBER 2

PTOLEMY MANN

SEPTEMBER 16

FINDLAY GALLERIES

PALM BEACH

Throughout August and September, the exhibition will focus on each artist bi-weekly, providing visitors with an opportunity to delve into each painter’s theme, technique, and artistic voice. By comparing the works of these artists, viewers can gain a deeper understanding of their individual contributions to the contemporary art landscape.

Ptolemy Mann is a British artist known for her vibrant paintings. Her works explore the interplay of color, pattern, and geometry, creating visually striking and immersive pieces. Noah Landfield is an American abstract painter recognized for his innovative approach to the medium. He is known for his exploration of light and space through intricate layering techniques. Henrik Simonsen is a Danish artist celebrated for his nature-inspired paintings. His works predominantly feature botanical elements, capturing the essence of plants and natural forms with a touch of abstraction. Thomas Rouxeville’s work showcases a unique perspective; a highly technical painter with a background in fashion, his realistic imagery is part of a modern vision filled married to symbolism and surrealism.

This group exhibition is an engaging and insightful showcase of the diverse talent within the Findlay Galleries’ stable of artists. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or a casual observer, it’s an excellent opportunity to explore and appreciate the artistry of these contemporary painters.

PTOLEMY MANN

CONTEMPORARY BRITISH ARTIST

British Contemporary artist Ptolemy Mann applies a unique approach to the creation of her artworks. Aesthetically, they reflect her full and deep understanding of the principles of the Bauhaus school as well as the nuances of color theory. The result is an intelligent yet sensitive approach to a process filled with detail and painstaking levels of craftsmanship. Her time-consuming and unique approach has evolved over a twenty-five-year period. Exquisite dynamics of color move across their fine surface, creating a painterly sweep. The term ‘Chromatic Minimalism’ has been applied to her work, and Abstract Expressionism and architecture heavily influence her.

Mann has completed many site-specific art installations and has exhibited worldwide. She regularly lectures throughout the UK and abroad, writes for the magazine Selvedge, curates, and has received three grants from the Arts Council of England. Findlay Galleries is pleased to represent Ptolemy Mann exclusively throughout the USA.

“For a long time, I’ve been interested in two specific things: accidental colour and unconscious colour. It transpires that these two ideas; when filtered through the act of painting, reveal a surprising vivacity and capture a dynamic colourful moment...In complete contrast to the exquisite slowness of the woven artworks these pieces are large scale punches of spontaneous, emotional colour.

The synergy between the woven works and the paintings is striking – despite being opposites in their making process they share a surprising energy and connect to each other completely. Both techniques project light through colour and are steeped with intuitive colour theory investigations. It is the interaction between colours that makes this work sing; alongside complex tonality and saturation.”

– Ptolemy Mann, 2022

Sussex Painting (A Vision of Love)

watercolor and acrylic gouache on Stonehenge paper 30 x 20 in. | FG© 140726

Sussex Painting (Citrine Inside)

watercolor and acrylic gouache on Stonehenge paper 30 x 20 in. | FG© 140727

“Ptolemy Mann is an artist whose primary medium is pigment-dyed, handwoven, stretched cloth. She is interested in the relationships between colours and their affective potential. Through the slow, meticulous process of weaving warp and weft threads on a loom, Mann mimics the spontaneous gesture of paint on paper or canvas. Taking her lead from mid-twentieth century abstraction in which the illusion of depth was rejected in favour of exploring the surface, Mann’s woven pieces collapse support and surface into one, reminding us of the primarily textile nature of the canvas and the repressed history of the textile within modernism. For her, painting is an expression of the material world. Optical effects and natural phenomena inspire her to explore the possibilities of her chosen materials: dye, thread, paper, paint and time. Through their rapid and/or laborious application she creates a multi-layered meditation on light and colour.”

– Ann Coxon, Curator

Alqa (Emerald Cyan) hand dyed and woven viscose 31 1/8 x 25 1/8 in. | FG© 140945

Albedo (cool) | hand dyed and woven viscose | 85 5/8 x 94 1/2 in. | FG© 140593

Alqa (Violet Monolith) gouache & watercolor on Arches paper

Thread Painting hand dyed and 16 7/8 x 16 7/8 in.

Thread Painting (Floral Spectrum)

Hand dyed and woven viscose with acrylic paint

16 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. | FG© 141129

Painting (Ultramarine)

woven viscose

in. | FG© 141149

Thread Painting (Geranium Jade)

hand dyed and woven viscose with acrylic paint

16 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. | FG© 141127

NOAH LANDFIELD

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ABSTRACT PAINTER

Noah Landfield was born and raised in New York City in a Tribeca that was still full of commercial lofts and artists’ residences; fertile soil for a budding artist. The naturally gifted Landfield followed in the path of his father and grandfather, both accomplished painters, and began making art from a young age. His formal training led to an MFA, after which he immediately began exhibiting in galleries throughout the United States.

Landfield’s paintings are redolent of the tension between urban structures and the forces of nature, reflecting on their ability to coexist and allowing for a further mediation on time and energy. Line, shape and texture underscore the highly saturated color and imagery in Landfield’s work, inviting the viewer to enjoy the challenge to their perception. Vibrant colors draw our attention to a seemingly abstract composition, which in turn, reveals clouds and a city below.

The artist states that “Paintings can be magic, healing objects, and I am interested in this idea of how my paintings function in the world that way. We are all ephemeral beings in an ephemeral world. My paintings have a lot to do with these ideas of ephemerality: color, light, duration. I also depict images of cities and objects we might think to be permanent and solid but, in fact, are just as ephemeral as flesh and blood. In a way, I would like the work to speak to this totality of nature that we are all a part of.”

Findlay Galleries is honored to present Noah Landfield’s recent works in the exhibition Ephemeral Cities at our Palm Beach location.

“Noah Landfield’s compositions are defined by the tension that arises between colorful, discreet shapes, and the abbreviated marks and notations culled from digital photography that create the aerial views of Japanese cities glimpsed obscurely through abstracted clouds. These landscape-inspired works are not fully abstract; they encourage a representational interpretation of the narrative that plays out between the shapes, the colors, and the notational marks employed by the artist. The artist’s intention to base the themes in his compositions on the universal forces of creation, and destruction, is communicated obliquely by the discreet abstract shapes that define the surfaces of the paintings” – Mary Hrbacek, M Magazine

Plate Shifts, 2007 | acrylic on canvas | 88 x 78 in. | FG© 140945

“Noah Landfield’s work is sophisticated, consistently rigorous, and well executed. His work has a quick grasp of difficult conceptual issues as they relate to his personal and compelling abstract paintings. Noah’s work stands out as combining the visual with the musical and with the literal...in extraordinary articulations...”

– Ronnie Landfield, 2021

Diffused Space, 2021 | oil on canvas | 52 x 60 in. | FG© 140500

Cloud Unknowing, 2011 | oil and acrylic on canvas | 83 x 78 in. | FG© 140946

Golden Wall, 2012 | acrylic on canvas | 68 x 104 in. | FG© 140948

“Billowing, flowing, and crumbling, Noah Landfield’s paintings chart vectors of movement, force, and energy as they play out in both natural and humanmade manifestations.”

– William Corwin, Brooklyn Rail, 2022

Untitled, 2006 | acrylic on canvas | 60 x 50 in. | FG© 140943

THOMAS ROUXEVILLE

CONTEMPORARY FRENCH PAINTER

Following a long-established family tradition, Thomas Rouxeville attended art school in Rennes at a very young age. This is where he started to define his own style, influenced by his great uncle, the architect and painter Yves Laloy. Yves himself was a great friend of the poet André Breton, one of the forefathers and main theorists of the surrealist movement.

In 2006 Rouxeville left his beloved Brittany to move to Paris, where he studied at the prestigious Julian Academy. Spending twelve years in Paris allowed Rouxeville to explore various forms of artistic expression. He began his forays into photography and street art while he worked as an architect and designer. As a multi-disciplinary artist with rare technical capabilities, he was able to collaborate with a large variety of institutions, artists and organizations. His projects ranged from the installation of a work of art by Lionel Estève in the French city of Metz to working on the sets of several of the fashion shows for Dior.

Having honed his creativity and technique throughout the years, Rouxeville turned his focus to his own art. Returning to Rennes, Rouxeville established a studio in his grandfather’s former architect workshop. This environment, which was full of memories for him, allowed him to discover two important objects: his grandfathers old compass and architect table. These objects have become an important source of inspiration in his practice.

Throughout his works, Rouxeville seeks to symbolize our society: the fauna, flora, minerals and human activity, mixing representations of a precarious balance. His aim is to mirror the instability of our current world, where humankind have disrupted the delicate harmony of Nature. For a moment everything stands still, reminding us that the whole world is interconnected. If one thing falters the rest will collapse in its wake. When viewing a Rouxeville painting, we are asked to assemble precise narratives using highly realistic elements in conjunction with flowing and overlapping abstractions. Rouxeville also unitilizes formalism, including elements that seem to jump from his digital design background into his carefully crafted paintings.

To bring his ideas to life, Rouxeville relies on his sharp brushstrokes and his mastery of color. Throughout his creative process Rouxeville uses traditional methods mixed with new technologies. To visualize his canvas beforehand, he employs the 2D and 3D modeling software that he first had access to during his time as an architect. The resulting work is full of vibrant color and poignant symbolism, which we invite you to explore at Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach

Coq Acola | acrylic on canvas | 63 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. | FG© 139611

Pelican Brun | acrylic on canvas | 63 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. | FG© 139618

Flamant Rose | acrylic on canvas | 63 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. | FG© 139616

Lieu Jaune | acrylic on canvas | 63 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. | FG© 139612

Durbec des Pins | acrylic on canvas | 63 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. | FG© 139615

Cacatoes | acrylic on canvas | 63 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. | FG© 139619

HENRIK SIMONSEN

CONTEMPORARY DANISH PAINTER

Originally from Denmark, but currently living and working in Berlin, Germany. His work has caught the eye of the international art world has been shown widely in the UK, across the continent and in the USA.

Born in the Danish countryside in 1974, Henrik Simonsen is a contemporary artist with a unique style. In his work hand drawing and brilliant colors imbue the viewer with a surreal vision of the landscape. Inspired by traditional Scandinavian art and design, his paintings echo nature with bold shapes and vivid color.

Simonsen has exhibited with such modern masters as Bridget Riley, Victor Pasmore, Stephen Conroy and Frank Auerbach. His highly acclaimed solo show at the Royal Opera House in 2006 was followed by a commission from a newly built museum in Belgium where he was presented as part of the permanent collection alongside major masters of the second half of the twentieth century.

Findlay Galleries is delighted to be the exclusive representative of Mr. Simonsen’s work in America.

Artist Statement

When asked what I do I will tell people that I paint but I think that I should say that I draw. The main element in my work is drawing. The attraction to drawing stems from the directness of the mark making process and the simple, yet magical way lines on a surface create shapes and forms.

I do all my drawing freehand even if I repeat an element, as I feel that projectors or stencils take the life and strength out of the line.

My work has had nature as a central theme for years. There is a lesson to learn from how nature is able to vary simple forms infinite. I think this is where my Scandinavian background becomes evident. Scandinavia has a long tradition for art, design and architecture inspired by natural forms. For me personally the draw of the subject matter is its inexhaustible richness and metaphorical ability to speak of human existence. Of life, passion and the brevity of existence.

Like the subject matter the process of creating them is an organic process where the elements are allowed to ‘grow’ onto the canvas. The first mark will suggest others and in this way I will move around the canvas until it is completed. The canvas will have washed off paint poured onto it, graphite drawn on it, and oil paint applied to it. There is no set order to the process above and any of them can be repeated a number of times. The last few years paint and colour has gone from very minor roles to playing a bigger part. I also find that the application of paint, especially when poured or thrown at the canvas gives the drawn lines an important contrast.

What is very import to me when I work is the history of the piece. This is why I rarely attempt to erase anything completely on a canvas. I prefer to keep the drawing that I later abandoned, changed or worked over as a part of the finished piece. I feel this gives the painting a feel of having occupied a period in time because the layers allow the history of creation to be visible rather then reducing the piece to just an impenetrable surface.

Tangled Yellow | oil on canvas | 39 3/8 x 39 1/2 in. | FG© 136742

Family | oil and gold pigment on canvas | 59 x 59 in. | FG© 136731

Spring, 2021 | oil on canvas | 51 x 55 in. | FG© 140669

Purple and Pale Yellow, 2022 | oil on canvas | 51 1/8 x 55 1/8 in. | FG© 140674

Evening Trees, 2020 | oil on canvas | 55 x 51 1/8 in. | FG© 140673

Exhibitions

Next Contemporaries, Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, USA

Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, USA

Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, USA

Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, USA

A Visual Diary - Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, USA

Garden Tales - Galleri Christoffer Egelund, Copenhagen, Denmark

Between the Trees - Wally Findlay Galleries, New York, USA

Eyestorm - Barbican, London, UK

Multiplied Art Fair - Christies, London, UK

Where Wild Things Grow - Customs House, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

London Art Fair - Islington, London, UK

Galleri Christoffer Egelund, Copenhagen, Denmark

Multiplied Art Fair - Christies, London, UK

Scope Art Fair - Miami, USA

Summer Exhibition - Opus Fine Art, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

London Art Fair - London, UK

Scope Art Fair - Miami, USA

Kruishoutem Museum, Belgium

Beaux Arts, Bath, UK

London Art Fair - London, UK

Opus Fine Art, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Kounter Kulture - Opus Fine Art, London, UK

Forster Gallery, London, UK

Bunny Gunner, Los Angeles, USA

Scope Art Fair - Basel, Switzerland

London Art Fair - London, UK

Opus Fine Art, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Forster Gallery, London, UK

AAF New York Contemporary Art Fair, New York, USA

Fairfax Gallery, Tunbridge Wells and London, UK

Chase Charity Exhibition - Royal College, London, UK

Byard Gallery, Cambridge, UK

Fairfax Gallery, Tunbridge Wells and London, UK

Royal Opera House, London, UK

Fairfax Gallery, Tunbridge Wells and London, UK

Gallery 54 Mayfair, London, UK

AAF New York Contemporary Art Fair, New York, USA

The Curwen Gallery, London, UK

Art London, London, UK

Byard Gallery, Cambridge, UK

Hicks Gallery, Wimbledon, UK

Worx of Art, Hitchin, UK

AAF, Battersea, London, UK

Hicks Gallery, Wimbledon, UK

Maltby Contemporary Art, Winchester, UK

Quodart, Brighton, UK

Carlos Galai Art Foundation, Colombia

The White Gallery, Brighton, UK

Maltby Contemporary Art, Winchester, UK

The White Gallery, Brighton, UK

The Huntington Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

Gjethus Museet, Frederiksvaerk, Denmark

The White Gallery, Brighton, UK

Spacex Gallery, Exeter, UK

Alfredo Gallery, Venice, Italy

3 1/2 Gallery, Montclair, New Jersey, USA

Orange, 2017 | oil and graphite on canvas | 19 5/8 x 19 5/8 in. | FG© 138453

Magenta and Blackberries, 2020 | oil on canvas | 19 5/8 x 19 5/8 in. | FG© 140685