Alexander Mackenzie (1923 – 2002) - Post War Modernist Artist & Teacher

We live in a world that expects perfection, but some things are just ‘not’ perfect. Mid-Century Abstract Art can appear with some war wounds, dinks, scratches and even water marks. The question is, do you restore it or leave it alone? It is always a good idea to seek professional advice if your selected artwork looks like it needs a little help.

The Post-Auction Conversation

I asked “What have you bought?”, the reply came “I am not sure, but it looks like a abstract taxi”. “Who is it by?” I asked. Tracy replied “I am not sure, but I really like it, and, it reminds me of a 3 wheeled taxi”. I asked (hopefully)“Is it signed?”, “Nope” came the reply. 

I have looked it up and “3 wheeled taxi” does not appear to be an official answer in any art terms glossary for abstract art.

To be fair, it was attributed to the St Ives post-war modernist artist Alexander Mackenzie, but it was unsigned. 

I asked “What does it say on the back?” to which Tracy replied “You can’t see the back as the card seems stuck with glue on this plastic 70’s frame”. My heart sank, but at that point it became obvious she loved it and it was never likely to get anywhere near our retail website.

For context, Tracy is a highly intelligent woman who interrogates the risks around Financial Services technology systems in the city. So when she is daft or flippant with me, I already know she is 3 steps ahead and I have lost the battle. Think Sun Tzu art of war and you are not far off.

Restoring this abstract artwork, the details.

On discussion with our professional restorer, the front image would be lifted from the acidic backing board, a simple clean to the paper image (subject to the artists’ media taking the process well) and a re-laying of the original to museum quality restoration material to stop any further degradation.

For those interested, the stepped process for the conservation of our lovely little mid-century abstract art piece included:

• Dry Clean

• Test

• Remove from backing Card by Delamination to thin paper layer

• Photograph process

• De-acidify

• Clean

• Buffer

• Stabilise

• Line onto over-sized 100% cotton Museum board using wheat starch paste

• Wrap for storage/transport

It has now been fully restored and framed behind UV protective glass. This is an early piece as Mackenzie had his first solo show at Waddington Gallery London in 1959 and then the Durlachers Gallery in New York in 1960, but the further commercially successful exhibition came some 40 years later in 2000 with a solo show at Austin Desmond Fine Art.

If you are a collector of British mid-century abstract art this is quite a lovely little find, with an interesting story uncovered by it’s professional restoration.

If you would like to view this lovely mid-century abstract piece, alongside artwork that is for sale in our gallery, please call us on 07990831917 or email simon@rastall.art to book your personal viewing.

Alexander MacKenzie (1923-2002)

Painter born in Liverpool and resided in Yorkshire prior to active service in World War II. He enrolled at Liverpool College of Art, 1946-50, and while there he was briefly a member of the Liver Sketching Club before moving to Cornwall in 1951.

He was on the staff of Penzance School of Art 1951-64 and later at Plymouth until the early 1980’s where he eventually became Head of Fine Art. He was an elected member of the Penwith Society of Arts, 1952 and was also a member of the NSA. He joined the Waddington Galleries, London, in 1958 holding his first one-person show there in 1959.

Mackenzie also exhibited at the Plymouth Society of Artists and held joint exhibitions with Bryan Wynter at Plymouth in 1970, and with Denis Mitchell and John Wells also in Plymouth in 1975. He also exhibited at the Redfern Gallery and in 1960 staged a solo show at Durlachers Gallery in New York. His commercially successful solo exhibition at Austin Desmond Fine Art in 2000 was his first London exhibition since 1968, though his work was exhibited regularly in group surveys of 1950’s art and his works from that period and now commands growing prices in the auction rooms.

His work is in the collections of ACGB, Barnsley Museum Services, Cornwall County Council, Gallery Oldham, Gulbenkian Foundation, Leamington Spa Art Gallery, Pallant House Gallery, Plymouth Art Gallery, Salford Art Gallery, Tate Gallery, York Art Gallery and in the National Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

Source: www.artbiogs.co.uk