Long-Sharp Gallery
1 North Illinois, Suite A Indianapolis, IN 46204
The Indianapolis gallery is open by appointment, though you can always explore our virtual galleries here. To inquire about works available, make an appointment in Indianapolis, or speak with a member of the gallery team:
Telephone: +1 866 370 1601 Email: info@longsharpgallery.com www.longsharpgallery.com
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Cover Image(s): Banker’s Aspiration © Lincoln Townley, 2022 [catalogued on p. 9]
Lincoln Townley is a contemporary British painter best known for his gritty, surrealist Banker portraits. Townley’s figurative paintings depict be-suited businessmen sporting viscerally painted faces that loom out of abyssal backdrops and emerge directly into our space. They are an evocative depiction of greed within the world’s financial institutions and the shadowy, anonymous ‘money men’ behind them.
Akin to Francis Bacon’s radical distortions of the human figure, Townley’s figures make manifest the existential turmoil of our 21st century moment. Each Banker portrait represents the power, rapacity, and influence of a financial institution, reflecting, in many cases, the unstoppable will of the individuals driving the unchecked growth. Describing Townley’s Bankers series, Emma Baker, Sotheby’s Director, Head of Evening Sale (London), writes:
In these works, Townley combines the horror and distortion of Bacon with the thick and sculptural paint application synonymous with Frank Auerbach’s best portraits of the 1950s. Indeed, Townley’s work is strongly affined with this particular moment and milieu in post-war British art history: the gilded-gutter life of Soho during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s oozes off the surface of Townley’s art.
Since his first private show in a back street pub in London’s Soho ten years ago, Townley has built a rapidly expanding collector base. By leveraging technology such as virtual galleries, augmented reality displays, cryptocurrency, and social media, much of Townley’s work is often sold before it arrives at his international shows. His work has been exhibited across the world, most recently at a sell-out Venice Biennale exhibition during 2022. Long-Sharp Gallery is honored to exhibit his works in the United States.
According to the artist’s studio: “Lincoln Townley’s figurative paintings of be-suited businessmen looming out of abyssal backdrops are an evocative depiction of greed within the world’s financial institutions and the shadowy, anonymous ‘money men’ behind them. The heavily layered paintings are built-up, scraped, and swiped with an aggressive and expressive energy that echoes the extreme manipulation and behind-the-scenes machinations of corporate banks and their dominating influence on the way we live our lives today. Townley’s canvases have a unique pulse and flicker, with dark and disturbing images that reflect the chaos bubbling just below the surface of our lives, driving our desires to succeed and win in life. They also reflect the artist’s fearlessness and the ferocious energy with which he paints.”
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.7 cm)
Framed Size: 22.4 x 18.5 in (56.9 x 46.9 cm)
Provenance: From the artist’s studio, Cheshire
Price on request
Click to view a film
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.7 cm)
Framed Size: 22.4 x 18.5 in (56.9 x 46.9 cm)
Provenance: From the artist’s studio, Cheshire
Price on request
Year: 2022
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.7 cm)
Framed Size: 22.4 x 18.5 in (56.9 x 46.9 cm)
Provenance: From the artist’s studio, Cheshire
Price on request
Year: 2021
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.7 cm)
Framed Size: 22.4 x 18.5 in (56.9 x 46.9 cm)
Provenance: From the artist’s studio, Cheshire
Price on request
2022
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 19.8 x 15.8 in (50 x 40 cm)
Framed Size: 22.4 x 18.5 in (56.9 x 46.9 cm)
Provenance: From the artist’s studio, Cheshire
Price on request
Click to view a film