The Spring Auction 2020

A tower block in East London cuts a clear line above the trees in Victoria Park in this cityscape by the painter Adrian Coleman.

Historically, watercolour landscape painting expressed something fundamental about British identity. In a time in which that identity is in flux, this painting is intended as an update to the genre. It combines the green and pleasant with the brutal, a portrait of ambiguous optimism and foreboding.

Adrian Coleman is a British-born American painter currently living in London. He makes large-scale watercolours that address urban disjunction. His current work considers the paradox of his relationship to Britain, as a native and an outsider.

Adrian's paintings of London combine tropes of “Britishness” with themes of transplantation, belonging, and estrangement. His chosen medium is a reference to the English picturesque tradition. 

Accolades

BA (Hons), Yale, Connecticut, 2006.
MA (Arch), Columbia, New York, 2012.

Solo Exhibitions: Steven Amedee Gallery, New York.

Awards: Go Open Studio, Brooklyn Museum, New York, 2015. Hopper Prize, 2019.