Anima Mundi announces its next exhibition from Trevor Bell, the last of the great radical generation of St Ives painters

Trans-form is the final exhibition supervised by Trevor Bell before he sadly passed away in November 2017. The core of the exhibition is thirty-one important, monumental paintings and works on paper made from the early 1990’s up to a selection of his final key works. In this exhibition Bell’s unique paintings provide the impetus for a transcendent sound score composed by multi-instrumentalist Jamie Mills. This and the elemental energy of Bell’s work have then been used as the source inspiration for a new contemporary dance work co-choreographed and performed by Sarah Fairhall and Lois Taylor.

His final body of work ‘Beyond the Edge’ was exhibited at Anima Mundi in 2016. Key paintings from this period are included in this exhibition. They represent clearly Trevor’s intention for his expression to be read beyond the object itself, for the space around the work to become active. The period that preceded the making of his final paintings was also marked by his collaboration with the choreographer Rodger Belman in the USA. Belman had responded to a series of Trevor’s drawings, which became choreographic studies for a series of performances in Florida. For Trevor this was exciting. His works as conduit. Literal borders breached once more.

Initial discussions around this exhibition began at the same time. It was natural therefore that this exhibition continued the work that had been started. The conceived project became an exciting one, to take key and favoured paintings from the studio, where transference of energy was intrinsic and allow them to serve as conduit for further forms of expression. To allow the spirit of, and in, the work to go beyond the edge.

To transform - trans-form.

Trevor Bell was a British artist, born in Leeds, England in 1930. Bell was as an important figure within the St Ives post war modernist movement, which achieved international acclaim. He also spent a significant part of his career in the USA, where he became head of art at Tallahassee State University, a role that he approached with zeal alongside the continued production of his expansive paintings and public artworks for which he became known. In 2007 Tate St Ives presented a ‘Beyond Materiality’ a solo exhibition of contemporary work shown alongside key works drawn from five decades of painting.

His final body of work ‘Beyond the Edge’ made at the age of 85 was a tour de force of purity, balance and the sublime - which encapsulated his philosophical aims for ‘nothing extra’ to intrude in the work. Bell would sum up his ability to encapsulate and distil natures physical and metaphysical complexity with a graceful rawness and often profound simplicity with typical humility by stating that “he was just in the middle”.

Trevor Bell’s paintings are represented by Anima Mundi.

To enquire about available works please contact [email protected] or +44 (0)1736 793121.

For high-resolution press images, interview requests or any other media enquiries contact: Amanda Forde (Press & PR) at [email protected] or +44 (0)1736 793121.