Guy Anthony Baliol Brett (1942–2021) was an English art critic, writer and curator. He was noted for a personal vision, particularly of cultural production of an experimental character. He is known for the promotion of

Latin American art Latin American art is the combined artistic expression of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, as well as Latin Americans living in other regions. The art has roots in the many different Indigenous peoples of the Americas, i ...

ists, and for drawing attention to

kinetic art Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or that depends on motion for its effects. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are ...

during the 1960s in Europe and Latin America.

Life

Born in

Richmond, Yorkshire Richmond is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the point where Swaledale, the upper valley of the River Swale, opens into the Vale of Mowbray. The town's population at the 2011 census was 8,413. The t ...

, he was the son of

Lionel Brett, 4th Viscount Esher Lionel Gordon Baliol Brett, 4th Viscount Esher, 4th Baron Esher CBE (18 July 1913 – 9 July 2004) was a British peer, architect and town-planner. He succeeded to his title on the death of his father in 1963. Early life Brett was born in Win ...

and his wife Helena Christian Pike, a painter. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. Brett began his writing career with art criticism for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' (1963–1964). In 1964, he started his publishing connection with the ''Signals Newsbulletin''. He was art critic for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' from 1964 to 1975. In 1974, Brett went to

Hu County Huyi District (), formerly known as Hu County or Huxian (, written as / before 1964, (same for both ways of writing)), is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, Northwest China. The d ...

(Huxian) in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to meet artists, in connection with an official exhibition ''Peasant Painters of Hu County''. He was then employed by the British

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

to write English text and a catalogue for the show. John Higgins of ''The Times'' not long after detected a political streak in Brett's journalism, and dismissed him. Brett was Visual Arts Editor of ''City Limits'' from 1981 to 1983. In 1979–80, Brett taught as guest lecturer at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

in London. He died in 2021 of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, survived by his wife and children.

Gallerist and curator

Brett early found a direction with his involvement in the gallery Signals London (active 1964–6). There a group of kinetic artists formed, brought together around Brett,

David Medalla David Cortez Medalla (23 March 1942 – 28 December 2020) was a Filipino international artist and political activist. His work ranged from sculpture and kinetic art to painting, installation, and performance art. Early life David Cortez Me ...

and Paul Keeler. The gallery grew out of the Centre for Advanced Creative Study (CACS), run in 1964 in Cornwall Gardens, London, from the flat shared by Keeler and Medalla. Supported also by

Gustav Metzger Gustav Metzger (10 April 1926, Nuremberg – 1 March 2017, London) was a statelessness, stateless artist and political activist who developed the concept of Auto-Destructive Art and the Art Strike. Together with John Sharkey, he initiated the ...

and Marcello Salvadori, CACS moved in November 1964 to premises at 39

Wigmore Street Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east. It is named af ...

owned by Paul's father Charles, renamed as Signals London. It took that name from works of

kinetic sculpture Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or that depends on motion for its effects. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are ...

Takis Takis may refer to: * Takis (snack), a spicy, roll-shaped snack * Takis Christoforidis, a Greek actor * Takis Fotopoulos, a Greek political philosopher * Takis Ikonomopoulos, a Greek football player * Takis Kanellopoulos a Greek film director * Tak ...

. Signals showed

Sérgio de Camargo Sérgio de Camargo (April 8, 1930 – 1990) was a sculptor and relief maker, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sergio De Camargo studied at the Academia Altamira in Buenos Aires under Emilio Pettoruti and Lucio Fontana. Camargo also studied philo ...

Lygia Clark Lygia Pimentel Lins (23 October 1920 – 25 April 1988), better known as Lygia Clark, was a Brazilian artist best known for her painting and Installation art, installation work. She was often associated with the Brazilian Constructivist moveme ...

Li Yuan-chia Li Yuan-chia (, 1929–1994) was a Chinese people, Chinese artist, poet and curator. He incorporated installations, works and photography into his art, and was one of a small number of artists of Chinese background active in the UK during his ...

Hélio Oiticica Hélio Oiticica (; July 26, 1937 – March 22, 1980) was a Brazilian visual artist, sculptor, painter, performance artist, and theorist best known for his participation in the Neo-Concrete Movement, for his innovative use of color, and for what ...

, Jesús Rafael Soto and

Mira Schendel Mira Schendel (June 7, 1919 – July 24, 1988) was a 20th-century Brazilian contemporary artist. She was known for her drawings on rice paper and was also active as a painter, poet, and sculptor. Her work drew upon the art of language and poetry, ...

, as well as Takis. When Signals closed in 1966 it left some legacy of artists with the

Indica Gallery The Indica Gallery was a counterculture art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first us ...

of John Dunbar and

Barry Miles Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeare ...

. It was meeting Camargo in Paris in 1964 that led Brett to write on

Brazilian art The creation of art in the geographic area now known as Brazil begins with the earliest records of its human habitation. The original inhabitants of the land, pre-Cabraline Indigenous or Natives peoples, produced various forms of art; specific ...

. He started to correspond with Schendel in 1965. That year, Brett and Keeler met Hélio Oiticica in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. The plan to mount a solo show for him survived the closure of Signals. In 1969 Brett gave major support to Oiticica by curating in London, at the

Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fi ...

, an exhibition of his work dubbed by the artist the "Whitechapel Experiment", though officially it was "Eden". ''In Motion'' (1966) was an Arts Council-funded touring kinetic art exhibition, curated by Brett, his first large show. Works were included by Clark, Medalla, Takis,

Pol Bury Pol Bury (26 April 1922 – 28 September 2005) was a Belgians, Belgian sculptor who began his artistic career as a painter in the Jeune Peintre Belge and COBRA (avant-garde movement), COBRA groups. Among his most famous works is the fountain-scul ...

and

Jean Tinguely Jean Tinguely (22 May 1925 – 30 August 1991) was a Swiss sculptor best known for his kinetic art sculptural machines (known officially as Métamatics) that extended the Dada tradition into the later part of the 20th century.Chilvers, Ian; Gl ...

. With Vicente Todolí he co-curated the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

2008/9 exhibition for

Cildo Meireles Cildo Meireles (born 1948) is a Brazilian conceptual artist, installation artist and sculptor. He is noted especially for his installations, many of which express resistance to political oppression in Brazil. These works, often large and dense, ...

Activist

Brett was co-founder in the 1970s of the group Artists for Democracy (AFD), following the

1973 Chilean coup d'état The 1973 Chilean coup d'état () was a military overthrow of the democratic socialist president of Chile Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity (Chile), Popular Unity coalition government. Allende, who has been described as the first Marxist ...

. The other founding members in 1973–4 were John Dugger, David Medalla and

Cecilia Vicuña Cecilia Vicuña (born 1948) is a Chilean poet and artist based in New York and Santiago, Chile. Her work is noted for themes of language, memory, dissolution, extinction and exile. Critics also note the relevance of her work to the politics of e ...

. One of the participants was Rasheed Araeen. An AFD exhibition in 1974 received backing from the Chilean academic and diplomat Álvaro Bunster, Harald Edelstam and

Judith Hart Constance Mary Hart, Baroness Hart of South Lanark, (née Ridehalgh; 18 September 19247 December 1991), also known as Dame Judith Hart, was a British Labour Party politician. She served as a Member of Parliament for 28 years, from 1959 to 19 ...

. It was at an AFD meeting in 1976 that Gavin Jantjes met Barry Barker of the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

and was able to exhibit there. Brett himself met Alejandra Altamirano at an AFD event in 1974 — they were married in 1978.

Works

* ''Kinetic Art: the Language of Movement'' (1968) * ''Peasant Paintings from Hu County, Shensi Province, China'' (1976), editor Hugh Shaw * ''Through Our Own Eyes: Popular Art and Modern History'' (1986) * ''Transcontinental'' (1990). For Brett's exhibition ''Transcontinental: Nine Latin American Artists'' at the

Ikon Gallery The Ikon Gallery () is an England, English art gallery, gallery of contemporary art, located in Brindleyplace, Birmingham. It is housed in the Listed building, Grade II listed, neo-Gothic former Oozells Street Board School, designed by John Henr ...

and Cornerhouse, including works by

Waltércio Caldas Waltércio Caldas Júnior (born 6 November 1946), also known as Waltércio Caldas, is a Brazilian sculptor, designer, and graphic artist. Caldas is best known as part of Brazil's Neo-Concretism movement as well as for his eclectic choices in mat ...

, Juan Davila, Roberto Evangelista, Jac Leirner,

and Tunga. The book covers also Eugenio Dittborn,

Victor Grippo The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

and Regina Vater. * ''Exploding Galaxies: The Art of David Medalla'' (1995) * ''Mona Hatoum'' (1997) * ''Force Fields: An Essay on the Kinetic Art'' (2000), for the show ''Force Fields: Phases of the Kinetic'' he curated at the

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...

. * ''Li Yuan-chia: tell me what is not said yet'' (2001) * ''Carnival of Perception: Selected Writings on Art'' (2004) * ''Brasil Experimental: Arte/Vida Proposições e Paradoxos'' (2005) * ''Oiticica in London'' (2007) * ''The Crossing of Innumerable Paths: Essays on Art'' (2019) * ''Takis'' (2019), Tate Modern exhibition book, curator with Michael Wellen Brett wrote further monographic essays on artists. One on Rasheed Araeen appeared as introduction to Araeen's ''Making Myself Visible'' (1984). Others treated included

Derek Boshier Derek Boshier (19 June 1937 – 5 September 2024) was an English artist, among the first proponents of British pop art. Greene, Alison de Lima (2000). Texas: 150 Works from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. New ...

, Lygia Clark, Rose Finn-Kelcey,

Brion Gysin Brion Gysin (19 January 1916 – 13 July 1986) was a British-Canadian painter, writer, sound poet, performance artist and inventor of experimental devices. He is best known for his use of the cut-up technique, alongside his close friend, the ...

Susan Hiller Susan Hiller (March 7, 1940–January 28, 2019) was a US-born, British conceptual artist who lived in London, United Kingdom. Her practice spanned a broad range of media, including installation, video, photography, painting, sculpture, per ...

, Tina Keane,

Ghisha Koenig Ghisha Koenig (8 December 1921 - 15 October 1993) was a British sculptor whose work focused on the work place, especially factories as a hub of human activity. Life Ghisha Koenig was born in London on 8 December 1921, the daughter of Leo Koen ...

Lygia Pape Lygia Pape (7 April 1927 – 3 May 2004) was a Brazilian visual artist, sculptor, engraver, and filmmaker, who was a key figure in the Concrete movement and a later co-founder of the Neo-Concrete Movement in Brazil during the 1950s and 1960 ...

and

Aubrey Williams Aubrey Williams (8 May 1926 – 27 April 1990) was a Guyanese artist. He was best known for his large, oil-on-canvas paintings, which combine elements of abstract expressionism with forms, images and symbols inspired by the pre-Columbian art o ...

. Brett contributed to the short-lived magazine ''Black Phoenix'' in 1978, run by Araeen and Mahmood Jamal, and then its successor ''

Third Text ''Third Text'' is a leading peer-reviewed academic journal covering art in a global context. After founder and editor Rasheed Araeen's earlier art magazine ''Black Phoenix'', which started in 1978 and published only three issues, ''Third Text' ...

'' edited by Araeen from 1987.

Notes

External links

"A Piece Of Sky Is Missing!"
interview by Gulsen Bal, from ''Sanat Dunyamiz'', Issue 98, Spring 2006 * Luiz Camillo Osorio
"Tribute to Guy Brett"
pipaprize.com, 21 February 2021 * Alexia Tala
"Guy Brett: An extraordinary 'ordinary' life"
''Arte!brasileiros'', 21 March 2021 * Hester R. Westley

blogs.bl.uk, 1 April 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Guy Anthony Baliol 1942 births 2021 deaths English art critics English journalists People educated at Eton College