Bridget Riley: Prints 1962 – 2015

Sims Reed Gallery presents Bridget Riley: Prints 1962 – 2015, a retrospective of prints by Bridget Riley (b.1931, London), in conjunction with Karsten Schubert.

The show will encompass around 40 works, including the first print she ever made in 1962 up to some of her most recent work and will focus on complete groups including Fragments, 19 Greys,Coloured Greys, Elongated Triangles and Arcadia. It will be a rare opportunity to see these groups hung together in one place, demonstrating how each piece has a relationship with the others in the series. By viewing them together, it is a chance to see how the artist investigates colour and form through subtle yet meaningful changes.

‘Fragments’ was the first series of prints that she ever made and all seven Plexiglas works will be on show. The title reflects the fact that the prints consist of images that the artist arrived at through making studies for paintings and it was through these that she first explored the serial possibilities of printmaking. All four prints from the series ‘Nineteen Greys’ will also be on show.

The four images are printed with 19 different greys and, like ‘Fragments’, developed from particular aspects of a series of studies for paintings. Other important works that complement each other will include Silvered 2, RA (Inverted), Untitled (Based on Blaze) and Untitled (Based on Primitive Blaze).
The nature of Riley’s work is such that it marries very well with the precision of screen-printing. She has used the technique consistently since 1962 and since then prints have formed a significant part of her oeuvre. Her print work has always run in tandem to her paintings and this comprehensive survey offers an accurate and fascinating reflection of the progression of styles and subjects throughout her career.