Stephen Sumner in Moscow
"It is permitted of a select few, perhaps only the most exceptionally gifted creators, the luxury to be oneself at the risk of being of less interest to the majority. This, in my view, is the distinguishing feature of the paintings of Stephen Sumner" (1).
—Alexander Sidorov
Born in 1959 in Blackpool, England, Stephen Sumner attended Blackpool College of Art and Leed University. After graduation, he worked in London as a designer and illustrator, eventually becoming art director for the IPC magazine group in 1988. In 1994, Sumner decided to concentrate full time on painting and in 1996 moved from London to New York where he now resides and works.
Sumner's paintings focus primarily on light and the tonal nuances of color. He expresses the ethereal quality of light and atmosphere creating illusory and mysterious landscapes. These mirages are born in Sumner's memory and are contemplative, introspective, and deeply soulful. In his paintings, the artist "has successfully visualized and captured those waking dreams of our memory that flicker like candles only to be extinguished by the consciousness of dawn" (2).
Stephen Sumner's paintings have been regularly exhibited in New York, including the recent solo shows at the Kenny Schachter Gallery and the Soho House. On May 18, 2006 the exhibition "Stephen Sumner: later, after" opened to wide acclaim at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, where it was enthusiastically received by the Russian public and positively reviewed by the Moscow media.
- Alexander Sidorov, Paintings by Stephen Sumner - a personal style, ACADEMIA. Journal of The Academy of Arts of the Russian Federation, 2006.
- Robert Flynn Johnson, Interior Exteriors, Moscow Museum of Modern Art Stephen Sumner: late exhibition catalogue 2006.
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Art Debut
Nob Hill Gazette, December 1, 2006 -
Leah Garchik
San Francisco Chronicle, November 1, 2006 -
British Artist Stephen Sumner Gets Solo Show
The Baltimore Examiner, October 31, 2006 -
British Artist Stephen Sumner Gets Solo Show
San Francisco Examiner, October 31, 2006
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The Exhibition of Paintings by Stephen Sumner: later, after - A Personal Style
Alexander Sidorov, ACADEMIA: Journal of The Academy of Art of the Russian Federation , August 1, 2006 -
Review: New Museum Exhibitions
later, after: New Paintings by Stephen SumnerMuseum.ru, May 18, 2006 -
Exhibition of Stephen Sumner - later, after: New Paintings
Moscow Out, May 15, 2006 -
In the Mist
Harper's Bazaar Russia, May 1, 2006
SERGE SOROKKO GALLERY
PRESS RELEASE
July 18, 2006
Stephen Sumner in Moscow: Later, After
Dozens of Moscow’s most important cultural figures were on hand for the opening of Later, After: Recent Paintings, an exhibition of artist Stephen Sumner’s work organized by The Moscow Museum of Modern Art and The Academy of Art of the Russian Federation. The exhibition, which ran from May 18 to June 12, featured new mountain abstracts and dense, obscure landscapes in piercing blues and stunning pinks. The crowds were mesmerized by the subtle intensity of the works.
Tair Salakhov, Vice President of the prestigious Academy of Art of the Russian Federation and one of Russia’s most important artists, was on hand to introduce the show. After bestowing glowing accolades on his colleague-in-arms Sumner, a number of other influential Russian artists and society members welcomed Stephen Sumner and his British and American friends to the Russian artistic community.
The exhibition received a generous number of visitors throughout its tenure, and the overwhelming impression was one of simple joy at a deft handling of nature’s tenuousness. The Serge Sorokko Gallery welcomes Later, After to San Francisco in November, though a limited number of the works from the exhibition are on view now.
SERGE SOROKKO GALLERY
231 GRANT AVENUE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108
415-421-7770
WWW.SOROKKO.COM
