Geboren 1957 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Er lebt und arbeitet in Jamaica Plain, MA in den USA.
Der Bostoner Künstler erarbeitet in bildhauerischer Feinarbeit Skulp¬turen aus Polyurethanblöcken, die dann mit metallic schimmernden Lacken zu verführerischen, glänzenden Bildobjekten transformiert werden.
Sein Arbeitsprozess ist dem eines Bildhauers gleich, jedoch spielt bei Bill Thompson gerade der perfekte Auftrag des Lackes ein bedeutende Rolle. Er sieht sich auf der einen Seite als Skulpteur, aber auf der anderen als Maler, der sogenannte „Species“ kreiert. Neben den ganz strengen, konkret anmutenden Objekten, haben besonders seine sinnlichen Rundformen einen eigenwilligen Reiz, spiegelt sich im schrillen, glänzenden Autolack das Umfeld oder der Mensch, ähnlich wie im Kotflügel einer Stuttgarter Luxuskarosse.
„Dadurch, dass ich meine Bilder erst forme wie ein Bildhauer anstelle nur eine ebene Fläche zu bemalen, befriedige ich diesen ursprünglichen Wunsch etwas mit meinen eigenen Händen zu schaffen.”
Born 1957 in Ipswich, Massachusetts . Lives and works in Jamaica Plain, MA.
The Boston artist creates finely worked sculpture from polyurethane blocks, which with the application of shiny metallic lacquers are then transformed into glossy picture-objects.
Although Thompson’s working process is similar to that of a sculptor, it is above all the perfect application of the lacquer that plays an important role in his work. He sees himself as a sculptor but also as a painter who creates what he calls “species”. Apart from his stringent, seemingly concrete objects it is especially his works with sensual round forms that have their own special appeal – the surroundings or the viewers are reflected in the shrill, shiny car lacquer as in the fenders of a luxury limousine made in Stuttgart.
“By sculpting my paintings, rather than applying paint onto a flat surface, I satisfy that very basic desire to physically create something with my own hands.”
Education
1975-77
Painting and sculpture Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
1965-75
Painting and sculpture, Private Study, Sister Vincent de Paul, Art Director, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA
Wir stellten Bill Thompson in seiner ersten Einzel-Ausstellung "Balance" - Körperformen - Wandobjekte -
in der Galerie vom 16. Mai bis 20. Juni 2009 vor. Ein Folder mit Abbildungen liegt bereit.
Moonsnail, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 61 x 71 x 12,5 cm, 2009
Scythe, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 79 x 61 x 12,5 cm, 2009
Brio, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 84 x 61 x 12 cm, 2009
Mariprosa,Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 61 x 67 x 12 cm, 2009
Studioansicht von 3 geschliffenen "Runden" - 2009
Wall Installation - Ausstellung in der Galerie - 2009
Slug, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 49 x 42 x 17 cm, 2009
Mox, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 47 x 50 x 16 cm, 2009
Loop II, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 71 x 53 x 10cm, 2008
Tenet, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 76 x 56 x 10 cm, 2008
Einzelausstellungen
2009
"Balance-Körperformen", Galerie Renate Bender, München
2008
The White Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2007
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, MA
2006
The Columns Art Center, Seoul, Korea
2005
Seomi & Tuus, Seoul, Korea
2004
Star Tower Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2003
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, MA
2002
Star Tower Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2001
The Butler Institut of American Art, Youngstown, OH
2000
Space Kitchen, Seoul, Korea Text
1999
Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, MA
1998
Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA, Portland, ME
Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1996
In Khan Gallery, New York, NY
Alpha Gallery, Boston, MA
Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Center Street Sudio, Boston, MA
1995
The Butler Institut of American Art, Salem, OH
Alpha Gallery, Boston, MA
1994
Morie Club, Hamamatsu City, Japan
1993
Galerie Mourlot, Boston, MA
The Butler Institut of American Art, Youngstown, OH
1992
Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA
1991
Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA
1990
Frick Gallery, Belfast, ME,
Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA Text
Gruppenausstellungen
2008
The Fascination of the Colour Red, Galerie Renate Bender, München Galería Cadaqués Dos, Cadaqués, Spain The Columns, Art Cologne, Cologne, Germany Flow, Centre Cultural Andratx, Mallorca, Spain
2007
Polished & Pressed, (with Peter Weber), Thatcher Projects, NY
The Columns, Art Cologne/Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, Spain
Temptation, The Columns, Seoul, Korea
2006
The Scent of Korea, Daegu, Korea Painterly Sculpture, The Columns, Seoul, Korea
2005
Today’s Voice, Neuhoff Gallery, New York, NY Resurfaced, BostonUniversityArtGallery, Boston, MA Gleam & Glory, Renate Schröder Galerie, Mönchengladbach, Germany Thirty Ways to Make a Painting, Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH New Paintings, Chac Mool Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
2004
Paine, Thompson, Werner, The Salt Queen Foundation, Southampton, NY
2003
Unisono, Renate Schröder Galerie, Cologne, Germany Visions and Revisions, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MARoad Trip, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY Boston Abstraction Now, OSP Gallery, Boston, MA
2002
Painting in Boston: 1950–2000, DeCordovaMuseum, Lincoln, MA Edge, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
2001
Estrada-Vega, Pastine, Thompson, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
2000
Painting Pushed to Extremes, WorcesterArt Museum, Worcester, MA Color, Virginia Lynch Gallery, Tiverton, RI Rapture, MassachusettsCollege of Art, Boston, MA
1999
Planes of Color, Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, WA Paintings, Virginia Lynch Gallery, Tiverton, RI Retinal Fetish, The Gallery @ Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA A Quiet Revolution, RoseArt Museum, BrandeisUniversity, Waltham, MA
1998
Summer Show, Debs & Co., New York, NY Invitational, WenhamMuseum, Wenham, MA
1997
The Drawing Show, Mills Gallery, Boston, MA Synergy, Robert Clements Gallery, Portland, ME Blue, In Khan Gallery, New York, NY Geometry and Flow, Gallery Seomi, Seoul, Korea
1996
In Black & White, Numark Gallery, Washington, DC
1995
The Drawing Show, Mills Gallery, Boston, MA Single Fire, Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, MA
1994
Large Scale Paintings, Mills Gallery, Boston, MA
1993
Hankyu Ltd. Presents L’Atelier Mourlot, Hankyu Gallery (Ginza), Tokyo, Japan
1992
5th Year Anniversary Invitational, Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA
1991
Homage to Wood, ArtComplexMuseum, Duxbury, MA Ten Years of Boston Art, Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA Collection Notes, RoseArt Museum, BrandeisUniversity, Waltham, MA Black and White, Nina Freudenheim Gallery, Buffalo, NY
1989
Artist’s Choice, NewtonArtsCenter, Newton, MA
1987
The Drawing Show, Mills Gallery, Boston, MA
Crown, Acrylic urethane on polyurethanne block, 46 x 51 x 15 cm, 2008
Collections
Addison Gallery of American Art, Philips Academiy, Andover, MA
Art Enterprises, Chicago, IL
Au Bon Pain Corporation, Boston, MA
BankBoston, Boston, MA
Bernkoff, Goodman & Baseman, Boston, MA
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP, Washington, DC
Brown, Rudnick, Freed & Gesmer, Boston, MA
Butler Institut of American Art, Youngstown, OH
Cooperative Bankcorp of Concord, Concord, MA
DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA
Fidelity Management and Research Company, Boston, MA
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Hyundai Corp., Seoul, Korea
Intercontinental, Boston, MA
List Visual Art Center, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA
Marsh Art Gallery, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
Millennium Partners, Boston, MA
Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky und Popeo, Boston, MA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Neiman Marcus, Natick, MA
New York Public Library, New York, NY
Nine Zero Hotel, Boston, MA
PerkinElmer, Inc. Waltham, MA
Quad/Graphics, West Allis, WI
Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Rudnick & Wolfe, Chicago, IL
SandRidge Energy, Inc. Oklahoma City, OK
Song-Eun Art and Cultural Foundation, Seoul, Korea
Taylor-Winfield Corp., Brookfield, OH
Wellington Management Company, Boston, MA und London, England
Awards
2003
Mid-career Artist Award, International Association of Art Critics, NE Chapter
1999 - 2008
Studio Residency, Loft Nota Bene, Cadaquès, Spain
1996
New England Foundation for the Arts/NEA Regional Fellowship
1975
A. K. Oliver Scholarship Grant National Scholastic Art Awards (NSAA)
NSAA Scholarship to Carnegie-Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
1974 - 75
Hallmark Honor Prize for Massachusetts
1973 - 75
NSAA Gold Medal
Selected Bibliography
Brody, Jacqueline; “Prints Published.” The Print Collector’s Newsletter, July/August, 1994. Clemmer, David. “Bill Thompson: Prints & Paintings.” THE Magazine, May 1996. Greenleaf, Ken. “Experience Bill Thompson’s Work.” Maine Sunday Telegram, November 1, 1998. Heartney, Eleanor. “Bill Thompson at In Khan.” Art in America, April 1997. Hoving, Thomas. “Art for the Ages.” Cigar Aficionado, Summer 1995. Hummel, Helen. “Dimensional Paintings: The Art of Bill Thompson.” Jamaica Plain Art News, January 10, 1990. Joe, Yonghee. “A Monochromatic World of Vivid Color.” International Herald Tribune, January 3, 2001 Kim, Mi-hee. “Altered Flats and Nodes.” The Korea Herald, January 1, 2001 Lloyd, Ann Wilson. “Bill Thompson at Barbara Krakow.” Art in America, March 2004 Marxen, Patti M. “Three Artists, Three Moods on Display at Frick Gallery.” Camden Herald, July 5, 1990. Miller, Francine Koslow“Bill Thompson: Minimalist Prints With Attitude.” The Print Collector’s Newsletter, March/April 1996. Narrett, Eugene. “Bill Thompson: Dimensional Paintings.” Art New England, May 22, 1990. Parks, Addison. “A Sense of Humor.” catalog essay, Nielsen Gallery and Butler Institute of American Art, December 1992. “Paintings That Are All Muscles and Armor.” Christian Science Monitor, June 20, 1991. Perrott, Jeffrey. ”Bill Thompson’s Edge.“ Stuff Magazine, October 1996 Protzman, T. Ferdinand. “Minimalists with Maximum Skill.” The Washington Post, June 8, 1996. Pulkka, Wesley. “Glossy Works Reflect Sweat Equity.” The Albuquerque Journal, September 20, 1998. “Artist Cuts Distracting Noise.” The Albuquerque Journal, March 17, 1996. Sherman, Mary. “Painters Maximize Minimal Work.” Boston Sunday Herald, July 31, 1994.
“New Works Show Painter’s Sense of Balance.” Boston Sunday Herald, April 28, 1991. Silver, Joanne. “Bill Thompson Transforms His Paintings.” Boston Herald, February 2, 1990. Sontowski, Anke. “Art That Reflects a Speedy City.” The Korea Times, November 10, 2002 Stapen, Nancy. “Bill Thompson.” ArtNews, April, 1993. “Minimalism Gets a Sense of Humor.” The Boston Globe, December 17, 1992. Tarlow, Lois. “Profile: Bill Thompson.” Art New England, April, 1993. Temin, Christine. “David, Stroud, Thompson: Pushing the Minimum to the Maximum.” The Boston Globe, July 27, 1994. “No Illusions: The Art of Donald Judd.” The Boston Globe, January 18, 1990. Yoon, Donghee. “Bill Thompson.” The Art Magazine, February 2001 “Working Proof.” On Paper, Volume I, #1, #5; Volume 2, #1.Zevitas, Steven T., “New American Paintings,” The Open Studios Press, Summer 1996.
“New American Paintings,” Spring 2003
