John Nixon

Biography


Born Syd­ney, Aus­tralia 1949

Died Mel­bourne, Aus­tralia 2020


John Nixon was a sem­i­nal fig­ure in con­tem­po­rary Aus­tralian abstrac­tion. From 1968, his work was ded­i­cat­ed to the on-going exper­i­men­ta­tion, analy­sis and devel­op­ment of rad­i­cal mod­ernism, min­i­mal­ism, the mono­chrome, con­struc­tivism, non-objec­tive art and the ready­made; which were key ref­er­ence points in his work. Exper­i­men­tal Paint­ing Work­shop (EPW), which the artist named in 1990, but which cov­ers works dat­ing back to 1968, formed the basis of Nixon’s rig­or­ous and long-stand­ing intel­lec­tu­al inves­ti­ga­tion into the mak­ing of art, which over time expand­ed to encom­pass not only paint­ing, but col­lage, pho­tog­ra­phy, video, dance and exper­i­men­tal music performance.

Nixon exhib­it­ed reg­u­lar­ly and wide­ly through­out his career. He held more than 70 solo exhi­bi­tions since 2001, includ­ing the Muse­um Gegen­stands­freier Kun­st Ottern­dorf, Ottern­dorf and the Auck­land Art Gallery, Auck­land. He rep­re­sent­ed Aus­tralia at Doc­u­men­ta 7, Kas­sel, Ger­many in 1982.

Nixon’s works are held in every major state muse­um col­lec­tion in Aus­tralia, and select­ed inter­na­tion­al pub­lic col­lec­tions include: Solomon R. Guggen­heim Muse­um, New York; Muse­um Sztu­ki, Lodz; Foire Nation­al d’Art Con­tem­po­rain, Paris; Stiftung fur Konkrete Kun­st, Reut­lin­gen; The Artists Muse­um, Lodz; Hern­ing Kun­st­mu­se­umm, Den­mark; Daim­ler Chrysler Col­lec­tion, Berlin; Kun­st­mu­se­um Esberg, Den­mark; Espace d’Art Con­tem­po­rain, Demigny; and Nation­al Gallery of Con­tem­po­rary Art, Seoul.


CV

Bib­li­og­ra­phy

Exhibitions
Available Works

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), nd
Enam­el paint on Masonite
91.561 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), nd
Enam­el paint on wood frame and canvas
35352 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), c2000
Enam­el paint on board on wood
11.511.55 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome with Circle), c1994
Felt and enam­el paint on board, on wood
12.512.55 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome with Eggshell), c 1985
Paint and eggshells on board
91.561 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Cross), c 1985
Enam­el paint on chipboard
6145.5 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2020
Enam­el paint on can­vas and hessian
25.5182 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome with Curve Ruler), 2019
Enam­el paint and plas­tic ruler on canvas
5345.5 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2019
Enam­el paint and Poly­fil­la on canvas
3020 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2015
enam­el on MDF and masonite
6060 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2015
Enam­el paint and card­board tube on canvas
6855.710 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2015
Enam­el paint and card­board tubes on canvas
755917 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2014
Enam­el paint on two canvases
81.551 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome with Pic­ture Frame), 2014
Paint on can­vas, wood, wood frame

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome on Three Canvases), 2014
Enam­el paint on three canvases
644520 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el and mixed mate­r­i­al on canvas
5031 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome with Spoon), 2014
Enam­el paint on two can­vas­es with spoon and wood
64456 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el and mixed mate­ri­als on canvas
6549 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el and mixed mate­ri­als on canvas
4045 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el on MDF
7675 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el and mixed mate­ri­als on canvas
5639 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el on three canvases
644520 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el and mixed mate­ri­als on canvas
8057 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el and mixed mate­ri­als on canvas
6160

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2014
enam­el on three canvases
4030 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (black and white monochrome), 2013
enam­el on can­vas and wood
55605 cm

John Nixon

SIL­VER MONOCHROME, 2011
enam­el on sand and two canvases
9665 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (white monochrome), 2011
enam­el on can­vas and wood
60753.2 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2011
Enam­el paint on can­vas and wood
6060 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 2011
Enam­el paint on can­vas and wood
60604 cm

John Nixon

SIL­VER MONOCHROME, 2010
enam­el on three canvases
39386 cm

John Nixon

Poly­chrome Painting, 2009
enam­el on MDF
two pan­els: 6090 cm (each)

John Nixon

Unti­tled, 2009
enam­el on MDF
60122 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (Tableaux), 2009
four paint­ings, turntable and table
3 paint­ings enam­el on MDF: 4560 cm (each)
1 paint­ing on osb: 6090 cm
table: 80160 cm

John Nixon

Project for a Wall Paint­ing Colour Group E (Ran­dom), 2008
enam­el on MDF
6090 cm

John Nixon

SIL­VER MONOCHROME, 2008
enam­el on three canvases
7878 cm

John Nixon

Project for a Wall Paint­ing Colour Group E (Ran­dom), 2008
enam­el on MDF
6090 cm

John Nixon

Project for a Cur­tain for an Opera House Colour Group E (Ran­dom), 2008
enam­el on MDF
6090 cm

John Nixon

Sil­ver Monochrome, 2004
enam­el on MDF
9060 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Cross), 1994
Enam­el paint on board, on wood
11.511.55 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Mono­chrome with Circle), 1994
Per­spex and enam­el paint on board, on wood
11.511.55 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1994
Enam­el paint on den­im on wood
15155 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1994
Enam­el paint on plywood
91.561 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1993
Enam­el paint on onion bag on Masonite and wood
4646 cm

John Nixon

Pink felt cir­cle with hammer, 1993
felt, ham­mer , ruler, mixed media
373810 cm

John Nixon

Kon­struc­tion, 1993
enam­el on Masonite and mixed materials
6146 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1991
Enam­el paint on hessian
3831 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1991
Enam­el paint on denim
36.536.53 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1989
Enam­el paint on hessian
8568 cm

John Nixon

White + Ochre Cross, 1989
enam­el and acrylic on plywood
3628 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1986
Enam­el paint and grit on board
6969 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1986
Enam­el paint on found stucco
56.556.5 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Cross Banner), 1985
Enam­el paint on hes­s­ian, rope
5647.5 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), 1985
Enam­el paint and rice on can­vas board
2520 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Cross), 1985
Enam­el paint on hessian
6048 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Felt), 1974
Felt on wood
9 x 9 x 4 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), Enam­el paint on tex­tured board, rope
45.545.5 cm

John Nixon

Unti­tled (White Monochrome), Enam­el on Masonite with bot­tle tops and coins
6161 cm

Library
News

John Nixon: Groups + Pairs 2016 – 2020

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The Joy of the Gestalt: John Nixon 1949 – 2020

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John Nixon, Stephen Bram & Rose Nolan, Cook­ing with John’ curat­ed by Amalia Lin­do & Jacque­line Stojanović

Hay­dens, Mel­bourne 10 — 12 More­land Road Brunswick East, 3057 Exhi­bi­tion open­ing: 22 May from 6 – […]

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JOHN NIXON: MONOCHROME/PIANO 1992

Pre­sent­ed in the Fitzroy Town Hall by Con­nors Con­nors, John Nixon’s Monochrome/​Piano 1992 is […]

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JAN NEL­SON, JOHN NIXON & VIVI­ENNE SHARK LEWITT: MEL­BOURNE NOW

The sec­ond edi­tion of Mel­bourne Now will be pre­sent­ed at The Ian Pot­ter Centre […]

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Night­shifts at Bux­ton Contemporary

night­shifts 26 May – 29 Octo­ber 2023Bux­ton Con­tem­po­rary night­shifts con­sid­ers the impor­tance of solitude […]

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