KEYES

JOHN MACWHINNIE

John MacWhinnie is a NY artist who has shown with Marlborough Gallery and in both MOMA and the Guggenheim. He is one of the brilliant young artists of the 80s who left the gallery model to quietly work in Bridgehampton NY, unaffected by the trends and twists of the art world. "MacWhinnie is a premier portrait painter and artist who nimbly and effectively bridges imperative of abstract and representational art." ~ David Shirey, NY Times art critic.
He is also renown for his portraits of Truman Capote, Marcel Duchamp and
Willem de Kooning. John MacWhinnie currently graces the lobby of The Breakers,Palm Beach.
In his drawings, John MacWhinnie’s touch looks both fast and careful. As passages of light and dark gray build themselves into volumes, the surface takes on a lively filicker. Lots of paper shows through, so white advances constantly twoard the eye, flattening volumetric forma and working against illusions of space. Space resists: MacWhinnie’s flickering grays lead into depth and provide form – especially bodies – with convincing situations to inhabit.
Born in Rockville Centre, NY, in 1945, John later moved with his family to Southampton, NY, and studied at Southampton College of Long Island University. Eventually he settled in Greenwich Village and studied painting under Larry Rivers.
John's star rose quickly in the art world, and he had his first New York one-man show at Brata Gallery and received the while he was still a college student. Several prestigious accolades soon followed, including the Prize for Excellence in Painting, Heckscher Museum, NY, and First Prize for Painting, Parrish Art Museum Southhampton, NY. Among his many acclaimed paintings is his iconic “Portrait of de Kooning in His Studio.”
John's work is showing at Keyes Art, Sag Harbor, NY. He has been exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY NY, The Guggenheim, NY NY, Tibor de Nagy Gallery, NY NY,
Leo Castelli Gallery, NY NY, Brata Gallery, NY NY, Grace Borgenicht Gallery, NY NY, The Parrish Museum, Southampton, NY, Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY and Heckscher Museum, Huntington, NY et al.