Allen Maddox

Allen Maddox's contribution to New Zealand abstraction continues to be celebrated, and his works are held in major public and private collections throughout the country. He was often associated with the Neo-Expressionist movement that emerged in Europe and the United States in the late 1970s, which emphasized an expressive, gestural style of painting. Locally, along with Philip Clairmont, Maddox was part of a group of artists who developed this distinctive approach to abstraction in a way that reflected the cultural and social context of the country. His works were characterized by bold brushstrokes, vibrant colours, and a raw, energetic vitality. 

Maddox's ability to use seemingly restrictive formal qualities such as the grid and cross motifs with such movement and energy is a testament to his skill as an artist. His forms simultaneously embrace structured order as well as anarchy, working within the straight edged structures of modernity whilst also transcending them. He was interested in the physical process of painting and often used unconventional materials and techniques to create his works. It is unclear whether he found the process of making cathartic, yet it appears to be almost involuntary-perhaps a physical impulse he had to release. 

This exhibition features works from the mid-1970s through to the 1990s. It was a prolific period for the artist, whereby his chosen motif was first explored and then further developed. Never fully straight these painted lines on the canvas curve and bend as though they are lines on a flag blowing in the wind. It is this fluidity of gesture that imbues these works with a rhythmical quality that permeates much of Allen's work and testifies to the fact that he often painted while listening to music. The exhibition documents how the artist tackled differing proportions and formats throughout his career, not shying away from expansive works such as Head I (1993). As an incredible colourist, this selection of works also showcase how he successfully shifted between excess and restraint within his colour palettes. Wholly consistent within his chosen subject matter, yet also entirely experimentative in colour, technique and materiality, Maddox leaves a legacy as an artist driven by a singular vision.