De Buck Gallery is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition by British painter Tom Martin, entitled (Filthy) Lucre. The exhibition represents Martin’s debut solo exhibition in the United States, and will be on view at the gallery from November 13 – December 20. An opening reception in the presence of the artist will be held on November 13 from 6-8 PM.
Known for his masterly realism, Tom Martin’s work displays a keen interest in the common threads of life, depicted in extreme detail. For (Filthy) Lucre, Martin presents a new body of work that explores the one thing with which nearly everyone has a love-hate relationship: money. In the artist’s words, this work “explores the control money has on different people the world over…(and) the role money plays in various fractions of life, such as the economy, conflict, religion or personality.” The paintings in the exhibition, in the stunning realism that has become Martin’s trademark, outline the varying role of money through a powerful visual juxtaposition of figures and symbolic items with global currency.
Additionally, (Filthy) Lucre represents the premiere of Martin’s three-dimensional work – monochrome plaster sculptures similarly festooned with coins of the world, complimenting the themes presented in the paintings. Collectively, the works presented relay the significance of personal economies via the piecing together of meaningful visual sources. Money is king; a sometimes harsh fact that is poignantly presented through Martin’s treatment.
Tom Martin was born in Wakefield, England in 1986, and holds a BFA from the University of Huddersfield. He has participated in a number of exhibitions in galleries and museums worldwide, most recently in the Contemporary Realism Biennial at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, where he will also be exhibiting in a solo exhibition in the near future. He currently lives and works in the United Kingdom.
