Euan Macleod | |
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Nationality | New Zealand |
Education | Canterbury University in Christchurch |
Known for | Painting |
Awards | Archibald Prize 1999 Self portrait/head like a hole Blake Prize for Religious Art 2006 Untitled Landscape with Figure |
Euan Macleod (born 1956) was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1956 and moved to Sydney, Australia in 1981, where he continues to live and work. He received a Certificate in Graphic Design from the Christchurch Technical Institute in 1975 and a Diploma in Fine Arts (Painting) from the University of Canterbury in 1979. Macleod deals mostly with landscapes and the human presence within it. The lone, anonymous figure is a common symbol in his work that embodies both the artists self-portrait and the "Everyman" or universal experience of emptiness, worthlessness and impotence. He has been described as both an expressionist and a symbolist and his dense, textured and sculptural use of paint has become a consistent feature of his work. Macleod is not limited when it comes to the landscapes he paints, feeling equally at home in the picturesque New Zealand countryside and the harsh and flat Australian outback and often painting a hybrid of both landscapes. As well as pursuing his art he is currently also teaching painting at the National Art School in Sydney.
Throughout his prolific 30 plus year career Macleod has exhibited frequently. In 1980 he was involved in his first exhibition Tar Paint Plastic at the Settlement Gallery, Wellington with artists Debra Bustin and Alison Clouston, which was hailed as an "impressive debut" by reviewer Neil Rowe. Since then he has held over 100 solo shows and been involved in over 200 group shows. He exhibits most frequently with Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Watters Gallery, Sydney and Bowen Galleries, Wellington. Macleod has also been involved in the Melbourne Art Fair since 2004 as well as the Auckland Art Fair since 2007.
Macleod's work is featured in prominent public and private collections across Australia and overseas. In Australia he is included in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia, Heide Museum of Modern Art and Art Gallery of Western Australia as well as numerous state, regional, university and private collections. Internationally Macleod's work is featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and numerous collections throughout New Zealand, including the Chartwell Collection, Saatchi & Saatchi, New Zealand and the Centre for Contemporary Art, Christchurch.