Artist profile

David Nash

See Through Oak (2020)

Oak
206 x 80 x 47 cm (ref:Dn3038 01)

Triangle, Circle, Square (2020)

charred Oak on charred Tulip shelf
86 x 70 x 26.5 cm (ref:Dn3060 03)

Diamond Cut Egg (2020)

Maple
71 x 30 x 30 cm (ref:Dn3063)

Two caves (2020)

charred Oak forms on charred Tulip shelf
55 x 70 x 27 cm (ref:Dn3062 01)

Overlap Panel (2020)

Redwood, part-charred
193 x 43 x 14.5 cm (ref:Dn3065 side)

Two Edged Forms (2020)

charred Maple forms on charred Tulip shelf
96.5 x 70 x 26.5 cm (ref:Dn3061)

Streaming Vessel (1999)

Oak
140 x 65 x 38 cm (ref:Dn3015 02)

Two Holed Wall Cedars (2019)

Cedar, part charred
i/ 225 x 81 x 40 cm ii/ 225 x 81 x 37 cm (ref:Dn3010)

Rain at Night and Mountain (2014)

Sycamore and pastel on paper
121 x 40 x 41 cm and 153 x 112 cm (ref:DN2372 and DN2763)

Oak Leaves Through May (2016)

Pastel on paper in oak frame
168 x 80 x 6 cm (ref:DN2958)

Serpentine Column II (2017)

Charred sycamore
57 x 25 x 25 cm (ref:DN2951)

Beech, Ash, Oak (2016)

Triptych, pastel on paper in 3 parts. Beech framed in beech. Ash framed in ash. Oak framed in oak.
111.5 x 77 x 4.5 cm each (ref:DN2939)

Three Redwood Columns: Deepcut (2010)

Redwood
Three parts: 303 x 28 x 26 cm, 303 x 38 x 30 cm, 303 x 36 x 26 cm (ref:DN2214)

Three Blues n (2014)

Pastel on paper in charred frames
3 parts, each part: 117 x 55 x 6 cm (ref:DN2669)

Three Reds - Three Directions (2014 )

Pastel on paper in charred frames
3 parts, each part: 116.5 x 55 x 6 cm (ref:DN2670)

David Nash works primarily with wood that has fallen naturally or has been felled due to age, disease or safety. He also makes planted works; living, growing sculptures; long term projects that span decades; trees, brambles, copses are sculpted and manipultaed over tens of years to form domes, grids of saplings and walls of living matter.

Out of the felled trees emerge eggs, columns and pyramids. Domes are formed from elements of the tree, Cork Oak bark is stacked to make towering spires and squat 9m circles. Oak branches are burnt and stuck into the ground end on to form low convex structures. He burns and chars the wood to form deep black, velvety surfaces. Burnt edges highlight geometric shapes cut into columns, hexagonal shapes are carved into oak eggs.

Biography

1945
Born in Esher, Surrey, UK
1963–65
Studied Kingston College of Art
1967
Moved to Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, where he lives and works
1969–70
Postgraduate Study, Chelsea School of Art
1999
Elected Royal Academician Appointed Research Fellow, University of Northumbria, Newcastle Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Art & Design, Kingston University
2004
Awarded OBE for services to the arts

Selected exhibitions

2019– 20
'David Nash: 200 Seasons', National Museum Cardiff, Wales and Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne
2018
'Wood, Metal, Pigment', Annely Juda Fine Art, London
2018
'Nature to Nature', Fondation Fernet-Branca, St Louis, France
2017
'Tree Seasons', Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Gwynedd, North Wales
2016
'Columns, Peaks and Torsos', Galerie Lelong, Paris
2015–16
'Three Black Humps', 2015, Oak, charred, in three parts, at Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron
2015–16
'King & Queen I', 2011, Bronze, Keepers House The Royal Academy
2014–15
'David Nash Stencil Prints', Abbot's Room, Kloster Schoenthal, Switzwerland
2014
'David Nash', Kukje Gallery, Seoul
2014
'David Nash Prints and Multiples', Galerie Lelong, Paris
2013
Installations by David Nash, Historic Grounds, Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire
2012–13
'David Nash – A Natural Gallery', Kew Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Surrey
2012
'Lines and Smudges', Annely Juda Fine Art, London
2010–11
David Nash at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield
2010
'David Nash – Recent Sculptures and Colour Works', Annely Juda Fine Art, London
2009
'David Nash – Monumental Sculpture', Kunsthalle Mannheim

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