Ian McKeever RA

Born: 30 November 1946, Withernsea, East Yorks
Elected RA 23 May 2003
Category of Membership: Painter

Ian McKeever RA, 'Twelve-Standing VIII', 2010-2011. Oil and acrylic on linen, 270 x 190 cm. "The quality of light in a painting intrigues me enormously: how to imbue a painting with light so that one is not actually depicting it, but somehow its quality is implicitly within the painting—almost emanating from within it."

Ian McKeever began painting in 1969, renting a studio from SPACE, London, following a degree in English Literature. His first solo show in London came four years later at the ICA. In 1989 he was awarded the prestigious DAAD scholarship in Berlin, and this was followed in 1990 by a major retrospective exhibition of his work at the Whitechapel Gallery, London. In the early years his work was landscape-based, reflecting the many journeys he made to such places as Greenland, Papua New Guinea and Siberia. He stopped making direct references to the landscape in the mid 1980s, and his work became more abstract, reflecting a growing interest in the human body and architectural structures. The quality of light and presence in McKeever's paintings have become increasingly important over the years. He has held various teaching positions; was Guest Professor at the Städel Akademie der Kunst in Frankfurt, was Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy Schools from 2006-2011, and is Visiting Professor of Painting at the University of Brighton since 2001.

Selected solo exhibitions
2013 Galleri Andersson/Sandström, Stockholm, Sweden
2012 Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo
Josef Albers Museum, Bottrop
Galerie Nanna Preussners, Hamburg
2011 Sonderjyllands Kunstmuseum, Tonder, Denmark
2010 Royal Academy of Arts, London
Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
2009 Kings Place Gallery, London
Galleri Andersson Sandström, Stockholm
Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2008 Alan Cristea Gallery, London
2007 Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau
Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark
2006 Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2005 Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau
2004 Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
2003 Nordiska Akvarellmuseet, Skärhamn, Sweden
2002 Horsens Kunstmuseum, Horsens
Galleri Andersson Sandström, Umeå
2001 Kunsthallen Brandts Klaederfabrik, Odense
1998 Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
Alan Cristea Gallery, London
1997 Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham
The Bonnington Gallery, University of Trent, Nottingham; Porin Taidemuseo, Pori
1996 University of Brighton and The Terrace Gallery, Harewood House, Leeds
1995 Matt's Gallery, London
1993 Stephen Solovy Gallery, Chicago
1992 Galerie Stadtpark, Krems
1990 DAAD Galerie, West Berlin
Galerie Tanit, Cologne
Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1989 Kunstforum, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich
1987 Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston; Arnolfini, Bristol; Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum and Diensthoofd Provincial Museum, Hasselt
Kunstverein Innsbruck
Kunstverein Braunschweig
1985 Galerie Nächst St Stephan, Vienna
1984 Galerie Tanit, Munich
John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton
1982 Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg
1981 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
1980 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1979 Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London
1978 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
Galleria Foksal, Warsaw
1976 Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
Galleria del Cavellino, Venice
1973 Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
1971 Cardiff Arts Centre, Cardiff

Selected group exhibitions
2012 The National Museum of Norway, Oslo
Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
2011 Seongnam Arts Center, South Korea
Tate Britain, London
2010 Schaltwerk, Hamburg, Germany
2007 Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark
Tate St Ives, Cornwall
2005 National Art Gallery, Beijing
Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai
Royal Academy of Arts, London
The Lowry, Manchester
2004 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
2002 Carlsberg Foundation, Glyptothek, Copenhagen
1999 Yale Center for British Art, Newhaven, Connecticut
The Royal Photographic Society, Bath
Callografia Nacional, Madrid
Fundacion Municipal de Cultura, Valladolid
1996 Rundetårn, Copenhagen
Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte, Reina Sofia, Madrid
Museo d'Art Contemporarie de Barcelona; and Kunsthalle Bielefeld
1995 Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut
McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
Tate Gallery, London
1994 Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge
Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton
Mead Gallery, University of Warwick
1992 Museum Folkwang, Essen
Des Dessins, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basle
1991 Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne
1990 Galerie Barbar & Cie, Paris
1989 Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne
BASF-Feierabendhaus, Ludwigshafen,
Tate Gallery, Liverpool
Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
1988 ROSC ’88, Guinness Hop Store, Dublin
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati
Städtische Galerie im Prinz-Max-Palais, Karlsruhe
Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles
1987 Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
Mucsarnok, Budapest
Narodni Galerie, Prague
Zacheta, Warsaw
Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, and Sara Hildenin Taidemuseo, Tampere
Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels
1986 Künstlerhaus, Vienna
Frankfurter Kunstverein/ Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt
1985 Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Hayward Gallery, London
Konsthall Landskrona
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Guinness Hop Store, Dublin
Stadtmuseum Graz
1984 Ikon Gallery Birmingham
Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield
City Art Gallery, Southampton
1983 Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn
Castello Pasquine, Castigliancello, Volterra
1981 Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
1980 Serpentine Gallery, London
1976 Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
Haus am Waldsee, Berlin
Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven
1975 Taidehalli Helsinki; Alvar Aalto-Museo, Jyväskylä; and Taidemuseo, Tampere

Selected collections
Tate Gallery, London
British Museum, London
Royal Academy of Arts, London
Arts Council of Great Britain, London
British Council, London
Government Art Collection of Great Britain, London
Red Mansion Foundation, London
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Yale Centre for British Art, Connecticut
MIT List Visual Arts Centre, Massachusetts
Cincinnati Museum of Modern Art, Cincinnati
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk Denmark
New Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
Horsens Kunstmuseum, Horsens
Løvbjergs Almene Fond, Horsens
Sønderjyllands Kunstmuseum, Tønder
Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
Kuopio Art Museum, Kuopio
Porin Taidemuseo, Pori
Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg
Kunsthalle Kiel
Museum Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen
Morat-Insititut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau
Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Vienna
Museum of Fine Art, Budapest

Selected publications
Ian McKeever, Hartgrove, Paintings and Photographs, Introduction and essay by Heinz Liesbrock, Josef Albers Museum, Bottrop, Germany (in English and German), 2012
McKeever: Black and Black again...Paintings 1987-2010, Foreword by Ove Mogensen with writings by the artist dating from 1982-2009, Museum Sønderjyland, Kunstmuseet i Tønder, Denmark (in English and Danish), 2011
Artists' Laboratory: Ian McKeever RA. Hartgrove Paintings and Photographs, Essay by Norbert Lynton, ‘Ian McKeever: Hartgrove Paintings 1992-1994', and Ian McKeever in conversation with Richard Deacon, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2010
Ian McKeever: Paintings, Marjorie Allthorpe-Guyton, Michael Tucker, Catherine Lampert, and Ian McKeever, Lund Humphries, London, 2009
Ian McKeever: Assembly. Paintings and Works on Paper 2006-2007, Jill Lloyd, Alan Cristea Gallery, London, 2008
Ian McKeever: Four Quartets, Paintings 2001-2007, Martin Caiger-Smith, Freiburg im Breisgau & Cologne, 2007
Ian McKeever: Whispers, Mette Berndsen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, 2006
Ian McKeever: In Praise of Painting, Three Essays, University of Brighton, 2005
Ian McKeever: Watercolours and Gouaches 1993-2003, Jill Lloyd, Akvarellmuseet, Sweden, 2003
Ian McKeever: William Blake's Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion, Francis Carey, Alan Cristea Gallery, London, 2002
Ian McKeever: Paintings from the Four Quartet Series, Michael Tucker and Ian McKeever, Horsens Kunstmuseum, Horsens, 2002
Ian Mckeever: Paintings 1993-2000, Karsten Ohrt, Kunsthallen Brandts Klaederfabrik, Odense. 2000
Ian McKeever: Paintings 1990-96, Jeremy Lewison and Timo Valjakka, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham and Porin Taidemuseo, Pori, 1996
Ian McKeever: The Marianne North Paintings, Matt's Gallery, London, 1995
Ian McKeever: Works on Paper 1981-1996, Michael Tucker and Tony Godfrey, The University Of Brighton, 1996
Ian McKeever: Paintings 1978-1990, Wulf Herzogenrath, Wolfgang Max Faust and Ian McKeever, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1990
Ian McKeever: Grønland, Galerie Tanit, Munich and Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1989
Ian McKeever: Echo and Reflection, Paintings 1983–1987, Stephen Bann and Wilhelm Bojeschul, Kunstverein Braunschweig, 1987

Contact details for further information
Email membershipoffice@royalacademy.org.uk

• Royal Academy of Arts