From the Collection: Stephen Wickham

Paintings and works on paper - Ancher House

Born in 1950, Wickham has exhibited widely since the 1980s. His work was previously part of the touring exhibition, Visions of Utopia, at Penrith Regional Gallery in 2017. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download the Visions of Utopia exhibition catalogue)

Wickham’s work is focused on art movements such as Suprematism, which was founded in Russia by the avant-garde artist and theorist Kazimir Malevich, and had a profound influence on the development of abstract art in the 20th century. Wickham is also influenced by Australian icons such as constructivist painter Ralph Balson, whose work is also held in the Gallery’s collection.

As a truly international art movement, many Australian artists have worked with the ideas of abstraction, developing unique regional nuances. We can also see the shared interest in colour, space and geometric forms between Wickham’s work and the work of Margo Lewers, whose corkboard cabinet is located at the far end of the Gallery space in Ancher House – be sure to visit the Gallery to appreciate this remarkable piece.

The paintings and works on paper in this exhibition were gifted to Penrith Regional Gallery, Home of The Lewers Bequest in 2018 from the Fox Family Collection. The works speak to the philosophies and practices explored by Gerald and Margo Lewers and their contemporaries.

Explorations of bold colour and form, with a connection to the elements and principles of design, were key features of all Margo’s artistic pursuits and represent the wide-ranging efforts of Australian modernists to engage with the meeting of ideas and aesthetics.

The Gallery’s Collection holds over 2500 items including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs and prints, as well as archival documents and objects from the original Lewers Bequest and the 40-year history of the Gallery.