Dudley Edwards
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Dudley Edwards (born 1944, Halifax,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
) is an English
painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
, draughtsman and applied artist specialising in
illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...
,
textiles Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
,
ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...
,
murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...
and
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
.


Biography

Edwards was born in Halifax, England to Muriel and Jack Edwards and was educated at Halifax School of Art 1960 – 62 and then Bradford College of Art 1962 – 65.Bradford College of Art, ''Hall of Frame - Dudley Edwards'' http://alumni.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/node/38 He then moved to London, becoming known as an "undisputed protagonist of the London rock scene.""Art, rugs and rock 'n'roll..."
BBC Bradford & West Yorkshire, Summer 2005. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
He became a significant figure in the London art scene during the 1960s and beyond. His work over the years apart from painting has included graphic design and illustration, murals, textile design, photography, film direction and ceramic arts.


BEV

Edwards first came to prominence in the mid-1960's during the Swinging London era, and quickly confirmed his legendary credentials as co-founder of pioneering pop art collective 'Binder, Edwards & Vaughan' aka BEV – a collective consisting of artwork by Douglas Binder and Edwards,Lapicida UK, ''Sixties Rock Meets Lapicida'

/ref> with David Vaughan (artist), David Vaughan acting as their manager/agent. Binder and Edwards produced vibrantly painted furniture:Cassone Art News ''Dudley Edwards at Harvey Nicols, Leeds'' http://www.cassone-art.com/art-news/2011/09/dudley-edwards-at-harvey-nichols-leeds/ In 1965, aged 20, the Guinness heir
Tara Browne Tara Browne (4 March 1945 – 18 December 1966) was an Irish socialite and heir to a part of the Guinness fortune. His December 1966 death in a car crash was referenced in the Beatles' song " A Day in the Life". Early life Browne was the yo ...
commissioned BEV to paint his newly acquired
AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a List of Ford engines#8 Cylinder, Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the Uni ...
(AC 289 Sports) - ‘to give it the treatment’. Brown subsequently introduced BEV to the Beatles. Tragically,
Tara Browne Tara Browne (4 March 1945 – 18 December 1966) was an Irish socialite and heir to a part of the Guinness fortune. His December 1966 death in a car crash was referenced in the Beatles' song " A Day in the Life". Early life Browne was the yo ...
was killed in a car accident in 1966 at the young age of 21 (driving a different car). It was his death was the inspiration for "
A Day in the Life "A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the s ...
" by
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. The Tara Browne
AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a List of Ford engines#8 Cylinder, Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the Uni ...
was exhibited at the Robert Fraser Gallery in
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
and subsequently was the subject of a photo-shoot by
Lord Snowdon Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017) was a British photographer. He is best known internationally for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in ''Vogue (magazine), Vogu ...
for both ‘
Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...
’ and ‘ Look’ magazines. One of the most notable pieces that BEV painted was
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
’s "magic" piano.Art in Liverpool ''Dudley Edwards Exhibition at 3345'' http://www.artinliverpool.com/?p=10212 The piano now resides in his music room in London. According to McCartney writing the songs 'Getting Better', 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'Fixing a Hole' on the decorative piano "added to all the fun of it". The psych-painted instrument is said to have also inspired the 'Hey Jude' album's kaleidoscope aesthetic. BEV were selected to represent the ‘Swinging Sixties’ at
Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the early main attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which appeared in advertising in 1843. In 1883, the restricted space of ...
, in recognition of their artistic contribution to that era. The piano was described by
Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. ( ; born March 8, 1945) is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and reunions until 2021), and a co-star of the TV series ''T ...
of
The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...
as "the freakiest thing you've ever seen". Group murals appeared everywhere from the boutiques of Kings Road and Carnaby Street to the British Pavilion at Montreal's Expo '67. 1967 also saw Edwards painting murals in the homes of Sir
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
and
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...
, living in their houses for six months. The collective were renowned for their ground-breaking light shows, including 'The Million Volt Light & Sound Rave' at
The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circ ...
in London. This multimedia art, light and sound installation featured the only known public presentation of the 'Carnival of Light' sound collage created by Paul McCartney and John Lennon during recording sessions for their Sgt Pepper album. The group disbanded in 1967, although their 'architectural work positioned
hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
at the forefront of cutting edge Art and Design
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
would go on to inspire the Graffiti and Street Art movements that would develop years later.' Despite their short existence, between 1965 and 1967, the group was described as being 'The Beatles of the art world.' In 2014, McCartney reused the "magic piano" for a performance at the
56th Annual Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid co ...
.


OM Tentacle

Later that year Dudley Edwards and Michael McInnerney merged their identity together as ‘OM Tentacle’, named after the OM sound, or OM point at the beginning of creation, according to
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
teachings. OM Tentacle painted the front of Flying Dragon Tea House 436 Kings Road, Chelsea, and made a number of psychedelic posters, record covers and book jackets, including the poster for the La Fenetre Rose concert in Paris and illustrations for 'The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics.' When OM Tentacle disbanded Edwards went on to co-direct (with Martin Cook) a documentary film ‘FRED’ about a devotee of Meher Baba for
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...
. In the intervening years he continued to Illustrate Record Covers, book jackets, magazines and posters. These were interspersed with commissions from other genres. In the summer of 1975 he was commissioned by Stan Peskett to photograph the Harlem Ballet in New York's Rockefeller Plaza for Yves St Laurent. In 1982 Sheik Abdul Aziz-Zaidan commissioned him to paint a huge ceramic mural for his palace in Al Karj, and then - again working with Douglas Binder in 1976 he created a suite of sixteen ceramic murals for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense HQ in Riyadh.


Teaching career

Dudley Edwards has taught at
Hornsey College of Art Hornsey College of Art, also known as HCA, founded in 1880 as the Hornsey School of Arts, was an art school in Crouch End, part of Hornsey, Middlesex, England. From 1965 it was in the London Borough of Haringey. From 1955 to 1973, when it was me ...
, Stafford College of Art, Bradford College of Art. Leeds Metropolitan University and Cleveland College of Art. He has been a guest speaker at The Royal College of Art, London; The Commonwealth Institute, London; In Australia at Swinburne University, South Wales University and The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, In India at the NiA institute, Delhi; and in Ireland at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin.


AMAZED Ltd

In 1995 Edwards joined family business ‘AMAZED Ltd’ which his partner Madeleine Edwards had started previously. The couple create rugs and wall hangings for celebrities and the Big Brother house. Items of their textile collections have been part of exhibitions in the modern art gallery
Tate Liverpool Tate Liverpool is an art gallery in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The gallery was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corporatio ...
and the V&A, London: England ''See below for citation''. Dudley still continues to produce work and has exhibited at: Arts Council Touring Exhibition to Edinburgh, Glasgow & Cardiff; Galerie 5, Geneva, Switzerland; Association of Illustrators Gallery, London; England & Co, London; the Musee d’ Histoire Contemporaine, Paris; Brighton Art Gallery; Red House Gallery, Harrogate; The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Tate Gallery, Liverpool; and Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; the Whitney Museum of Art, New York, The Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough Mills, Halifax. Redhouse Originals, Harrogate; England.Amazed Ltd ''Exhibitions'' http://www.amazedltd.com/main.html,/


2009-present

Since 2009, Edwards has continued to paint and his diverse output has continued to excite critics. His work has been exhibited in notable galleries throughout the world including the Robert Fraser Gallery in London and Galerie 5 in Geneva. Touring exhibitions have included the V&A,
Tate Liverpool Tate Liverpool is an art gallery in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The gallery was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corporatio ...
,
Schirn Kunsthalle The Schirn Kunsthalle is a Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, Germany, located in the old city between the Römer and the Frankfurt Cathedral; it is part of Frankfurt's Museumsufer (Museum Riverbank). The Schirn exhibits both modern and contemporary art ...
,
Kunsthalle Wien Kunsthalle Wien is the city of Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city ...
, The Musee d'Histoire Contemporaine, and the
Whitney Museum of Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a modern and contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. The institution was foun ...
. Edwards has been a guest speaker at a number of renowned art institutions, including The Royal College of Art, The Commonwealth Institute in London, National College of Art & Design, and the NiA Institute in Delhi. He recently filmed for Michael Cain's 2017 film
My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. One of the band's most recognizable songs, it was placed number 11 by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the " 500 Greatest S ...
.


References

Other Sources 1 Hathaway, Norman (2011). ''Electrical Banana''. Damiani: Italy. pp. 62–83 2 Palacios, Julian (2010). ''Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd'', pp. 214–216 Plexus Publishing, London. * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Dudley 1944 births Living people 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters English draughtsmen 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists