Leo McDowell RI - Retrospective
Fine Art UK is delighted and privileged to have this opportunity to showcase the work of one of the UK's most successful, original and innovative artists, Leo McDowell RI.
Leo was born and grew up in the north of England, right on the edge of Ilkley Moor, Yorkshire. Unsurprisingly therefore, his early works were his interpretations of the moorland landscape by which he was surrounded in these formative years.
After studying modern languages at the universities of Manchester and Cambridge and the History of Art at Innsbruck University, he spent eight years teaching in the Middle East and participating in archaeological excavations and studies in North Africa, Turkey, Cyprus and Jordan, during which time he painted extensively. It was throughout this period that Islamic and Byzantine architectural influences, still apparent in his most recent work, started to appear. Further influenced by the landscapes and artefacts of the Mediterranean, his work developed and evolved into the intriguing and captivating style which is instantly recognisable as his today.
His latest works still retain this very distinctive style which is multi-layered, highly textured and yet delicate, whilst covering a wide variety of subjects from landscape and figurative through to portraiture, animals and still life and in many cases, combinations of all of these.
In a long and distinguished career, Leo has many achievements to his credit, most notable being those of election into The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour in 1985 and the inclusion of his work in HRH Prince of Wales Collection at Kensington Palace as well as many other significant UK collections. His work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide including in France, Switzerland, USA and Japan.
Ill health has recently seriously curtailed Leo's productivity, making this substantial collection of his works a unique and valuable opportunity to see and acquire art by one of our most important and respected artists.
