David Rankin is a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

-based

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n artist. He works predominantly in

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

and

acrylic on canvas Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

, but also works with paper, prints, sculptures and ceramics. Rankin has held over 100 one-person exhibitions in cities across the world and his work forms part of many of the world's leading collections and museums.

Early life and work

David Rankin was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1946 then emigrated to Australia with his family in 1948. He spent his childhood in the 1950s in the semi-rural

Port Hacking Port Hacking Estuary ( Aboriginal Tharawal language: ''Deeban''), an open youthful tide dominated, drowned valley estuary, is located in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia approximately south of Sydney central business district. Port ...

region, south of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and his teenage years in country

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, from

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

and

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

in the south to Bourke and

Brewarrina Brewarrina (pronounced 'bree-warren-ah'; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. The name Brewarrina is derived from 'burru waranha', a Weilwan name for a s ...

in the north. Rankin is self-taught, developing his techniques and ideas in the outback towns of his youth. He was inspired by the greats from

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

as well as being influenced by the history of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and

Asian art The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. The major regions of Asia include Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia. Central Asian art primarily c ...

. In his travels before he arrived in Sydney in 1967 he developed a concept of what he wanted to achieve as an Australian artist. His dream was to express the

anima Anima may refer to: Animation * Ánima (company), a Mexican animation studio founded in 2002 * Córdoba International Animation Festival – ANIMA, in Argentina Religion and philosophy * Animism, the belief that objects, places, and creatures ...

, the life spirit or the essence of God in all nature. As an Australian artist he believed could bring the elements of Western Art together with an understanding and love for the cultures of Asia and the Australian Aborigine. He also felt that as Australia was closer to Asia than Europe it made sense to think about the art of Indian, Chinese and Japanese artists, and that one could not be an authentic articulate Australian artist without a love and respect for the artistic and spiritual expressions of the various

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

peoples and cultures. In Sydney Rankin had his first exhibition through

Watters Gallery Watters Gallery (1964–2018) was a private art gallery in Riley Street Sydney, Australia, run by Frank Watters (1934 – May 2020) with his business partners and friends Geoffrey and Alex Legge. It was influential and well-known, hosting exhibit ...

at age 22.

Personal

In 1979 his first wife, Jennifer Mary Roberts (née Haynes) died. Rankin subsequently met his current wife

Lily Brett Lily Brett (born Lilijahne Brajtsztajn 5 September 1946, Feldafing displaced persons camp, Bavaria, Germany) is an Australian novelist, essayist and poet. She lived in North Carlton and then Elwood/Caulfield (suburbs of Melbourne) from 1948 to ...

, whose own life was etched by tragedy with her parents being survivors of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. She too migrated to Australia as a child after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1948. The artist recounts that his empathy for Lily and the pity for his first wife's death fused into what he calls "the dark blessing of my life." The darkness was transformed into images. The author

Dore Ashton Dore Ashton (May 21, 1928 – January 30, 2017) was a writer, professor and critic on modern and contemporary art. Biography Ashton was born in Newark, New Jersey on May 21, 1928. She was the author or editor of more than thirty books on art, in ...

writes that the events of 1979 and the fire which ravished his studio in 1997 and burnt his art works and many personal possessions, had a profound impact on his work. Having personal life experiences as his subject matter, Rankin's paintings contemplate these things. For example, his ''Jerusalem'' series followed a trip to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 1988, which then led to his ''Golgotha'' works. His travels to the Australian, American and Mexican

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s became the subject matter for many of his canvases, such as ''Ridge – Mungo'', ''Golden Prophecy – San Antonio,'' ''Grey Sonora Landscape'' and then led to his ''Witness'' Series. From the fire in his studio he then painted ''Buddha and Flames''. He illustrated two books by

on the holocaust and explored the theme further in his huge work ''The Drowned and The Saved'' from a book by

Primo Levi Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was an Italian chemist, partisan, writer, and Jewish Holocaust survivor. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works ...

of the same name. Through Brett he encountered Jewish mythology and painted ''Black Menorah'' and ''Black Tfiln'' and as a testament to his love for her created his ''Husband and Wife'' Series including ''Husband and Wife Triptych III'', and ''Husband and Wife – Ying and Yang''. In 1989 Rankin moved with his wife to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. From their home in New York they continue to explore both their Australian roots and culture and the opportunities and challenges of being part of an international community. Their three children, including celebrated artist Jessica Rankin, also live in New York. David's daughter-in-law is artist

Julie Mehretu Julie Mehretu (born November 28, 1970) is an Ethiopian American contemporary visual artist, known for her multi-layered paintings of abstracted landscapes on a large scale. Her paintings, drawings, and prints depict the cumulative effects of urban ...

Career

In the past 30 years Rankin has held over 100 one-person exhibitions in cities including

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, New York, Cologne and throughout Australia. He is represented in many of the world's leading collections and museums, including the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

. He was selected as Australia's official representative in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Fortieth Anniversary Exhibition celebrations that toured the world's capitals. He was featured in the

Salon de Mai The Salon de Mai (the '' May Salon'') is a group of French artists which formed in a café on the Rue Dauphine in Paris in 1943 during the German occupation of France.Ferrier, Jean-Louis. (Ed.) (1999) ''Art of the 20th Century''. Paris: Chene-Hache ...

and the Chicago Art Fair. Among the many prizes and awards he has been honored with is the 1983

Wynne Prize The Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. As one of Australia's longest-running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne. Now held concurrently with the Sir John Sulman Prize ...

, Australia's premier landscape prize. Recently an English-German monograph on his work titled ''"The Walls of the Heart: The Work and Life of David Rankin"'' was published by US critic and art historian

. In 2005-2006 a major exhibition of Rankin's art, curated by Dore Ashton, toured through public galleries in Australia. Among his many commissioned works are ''The Scorched Earth'', 1984–85, oil on canvas, diptych at the

Victorian Arts Centre Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central M ...

, Melbourne. The Committee for Bosnia, commissioned a poster, ''A Day for Bosnia'', at The University of Chicago. His oil paintings, large watercolours and ceramics appear at the New York Vista Hotel. In September 2013, a book by

on David Rankin's work titled ''David Rankin: The New York Years'' was released. Rankin was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.

References

Bibliography

*Brenson, Michael: "David Rankin", The New York Times, New York City, 21 December 1990; p39 *Carrier, David: "David Rankin’s Jerusalem Paintings", in the catalogue for David Rankin, The Jerusalem Paintings, Ruggiero Gallery, New York City, 1989 *Handy, Ellen: "Light of Australia, Walls of Jerusalem", Arts Magazine, New York City. December 1989 ol. 64, No. 4 pages 51–55 *Larson, Kay: "Art", New York Magazine, New York City, 17 December 1990; p77 * Elwyn Lynn: "Rankin at Macquarie", The Australian, Sydney; November 1990 *Lynn, Victoria: "Balance and Duality in the Work of David Rankin", Art and Australia, Summer 1996 *Sheffield, Margaret: "David Rankin", Review, New York City, May 1997 *Bleiker, Roland: "Political Abstraction in the Work of David Rankin", Social Alternatives, St Lucia. October 2001 ol. 20, No. 4 pages 3–8, 16–21. *

: The Walls of the Heart: The Work and Life of David Rankin, Wien: Christian Brandstätter Verlag, 2001. *

: "After the Fire", David Rankin: Works 1967–2004, touring exhibition catalogue, Tweed River Art Gallery, Murwillumbah 2005. *Jeannet, Frédéric-Yves: "From the Heartland to a Hinterland", David Rankin: Works 1967–2004, touring exhibition catalogue, Tweed River Art Gallery, Murwillumbah 2005. *

: David Rankin – The Crossings Paintings, exhibition catalogue
Andre Zarre Gallery
New York City, October 2006.
New York Arts International

External links

essay
accompanying show "David Rankin Work 1967-2004" by Madeleine Kelman Snow

Rezarr gallery site.

* ttp://www.savah.com.au/rankin.html Savah Gallery- resume supplied by the artist reproduced on this page as well as in this Wikipedia entry
Essay
by

List of some Australian Galleries mentioned

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, David Australian painters 1946 births Living people British emigrants to Australia Wynne Prize winners Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia