We round up the reviews for the artist’s extensive exhibition at the London gallery.
The Guardian: ** “Obviously the Royal Academy is in on the joke that eludes me because they confine An Oak Tree and his other engaging conceptual works from the 1970s to one room, before moving on to the supposedly bigger story of how he became a painter of snazzy, 21st-century still lifes. With their hard, cool colours in acrylic on aluminium these pictures seem to declare they are made for the “grey matter”, as Duchamp called the brain.”
Evening Standard: **** “But it’s fascinating throughout this show to track the changes in his motifs, as the trappings of the 20th century – cassette tapes, buckets, ladders – give way to mobile phones, iPads, a face mask, tracing the shift in what is ‘ordinary’.”
iNews: **** “Though colour arrives like an avalanche, for those who appreciate an orderly procession, there remains a satisfying sense of progression, with the colour works that have been Criag-Martin’s signature since the turn of the century being the inevitable culmination of his work to that point.”
The Telegraph: *** “The still-life artist is craftier than he’s often given credit for – as this 60-year retrospective at the Royal Academy proves.”
The Upcoming: **** “This comprehensive retrospective culminates in a new immersive work that surrounds the visitor on all sides with the artist’s vividly coloured motifs.”
Time Out: “Like with all fears, confronting them diminishes them. I no longer fear a huge Michael Craig-Martin exhibition. But I am glad it’s over.”
To book tickets for the exhibition (on display until the 10th December) visit: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/michael-craig-martin