Alexander Quinn WAGNER

1920 - 2006

PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS, CONSTRUCTIONS and Jewellery


 

Alex Wagner in his studio at Greytown, 1990

 


 

Short biography

 

Born in Johannesburg, 1920, educated at Grey College, Port Elizabeth, trained at Natal Technical College under Prof. OJP Oxley and Merlyn Evans. Served for 5 years with the SA forces in North Africa and Italy. Was member of the New Group. 1945 married Beryl Newman. Lived in Johannesburg 1945-1949, moved to Greytown, Natal in 1950, settling on the 100 acre farm "Siena". He was still living in Greytown in 1999, by then a widower.

Exhibited his works in various centres in South Africa, also in Glasgow and Edinburgh, mainly jointly with Beryl Newman.

Beryl Newman, wife of Alex Wagner from Greytown

Beryl Newman 1990 and with Alex Wagner in 1995

Alex Wagner and Beryl Newman in abt 1995, img from a newspaper article

Further details can be obtained from the references and links below!

 


 

Exhibitions at Gallery 101 Johannesburg

 

1962 "Art & Religion" The Gallery 101 - U.A.T. 1962 Scholarship Competition" (26th February) - opened by A.M. van Schoor - cat. 44, ill.

Alex WAGNER "The Prophet" (conté/gouache) exhibited at Gallery 101 Johannesburg 1962

"The Prophet" (conté/gouache) - cat. 44

 

1962 Gallery 101 Johannesburg (March or May) - opened by Prof. I. Gordon - cat. March 1962 (PDF)

 


 

Other solo and group exhibitions

 

1948 Included in Overseas Exhibition of South African Art at the Tate, London (21st September to 31st October, 1948)

1960 Constantia Gallery, Johannesburg (17th October) - solo - opened by Jack Penn

1965 Taylor Gallery, Pietermaritzburg (19th November) - opened by Prof. I. Gordon

1966 Republic Festival Exhibition - SA Association of Arts, Pretoria (May), cat. 312, 313

 

See also further details by clicking on this image!

Alex WAGNER at deVries Fine Arts, UK - screenshot

 


 

A selection of Works

 

Alex Quinn WAGNER's signature

Alex Wagner signed his works with this signet and his jewellery with a stamp per PDF link

Alex WAGNER "Girl with a migraine" conté/gouache 52x43 cm (img Carn-Du Fine Arts, Cornwall)

"Girl with a migraine" - conté / gouache 52x43 cm

Alex WAGNER "The departure from Jerusalem" - oil 76x64 cm (img www.devriesart.co.uk/wagner)

"The departure from Jerusalem" - oil 76x64 cm

Alex WAGNER "il ridotto" - watercolour on paper 38x44cm (img www.devriesart.co.uk/wagner)

"Il ridotto" - watercolour on paper - 38x44 cm

Alex WAGNER "The monkey God" oil/board 38x44 cm (img www.devriesart.co.uk/wagner)

"The Monkey God" - oil/board - 38x44 cm

"Si momentum" - gouache/watercolour - 50x35 cm

 

Note: these last 4 works listed were downloaded from www.devriesart.co.uk/wagner.html

(unfortunately, this website was taken off the Internet early 2012)

 

Alex WAGNER "Couch" - drawing - early work

"Couch" - drawing - early work

Data from a private collection in Germany (PDF)

Alex Wagner "The sea of balance", 1953/54 m/media under glass 43x59cm (priv. coll. SA)

"The sea of balance", 1953/54 - m/media under glass - 43x59 cm

 


 

Works in Public Collections

 

Durban Art Gallery, Durban

Alex WAGNER "Herne, the hunter" collage 55x42 cm (Coll. Durban Art Gallery)

"Herne, the hunter" - collage 55 x 42 cm

Alex WAGNER "Personal Projection No. III", 1984 - oil/board 40.7 x 38 cm (Coll. Durban Art Gallery) (img. 150 SA Paintings Past and Present, p. 109)

"Personal Projection No. III", 1984 - oil/board 40.7 x 38 cm

 

also in collections of:

Killie Campbell Africana Library, University of Natal, Durban

University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg

 


 

Works on auction

Bonhams, New Bond Street, London - 23rd May, 2007 - Lot 151

Alex WAGNER "Villa des Mystères, Pompéi" - mixed media 29x19cm (img Bonhams Sale 14931 Lot 140)

"Villa des Mystères, Pompéi" mixed media 29x19cm

click on image for a better view!

Bonhams, Knightsbridge, London - 25th September, 2007 - Lot 140

 


 

Selected Publications

Alex Quinn WAGNER in 1979

Alex Wagner in 1979

Alex Wagner in his studio at Greytown

Alex Wagner in his studio (click on image)

 

"South African Art" (te Water/Geoffrey Long) (SAAA Cape Town), 1948/49 (p. 24, cat. 112, 113)

"Die kuns van 'n Kwarteeu" (Bokhorst) (Standpunte) 9 (3), 1954, pp. 45, 51

"Art in South Africa since 1962" (F.L. Alexander) (Balkema), 1962, p. 170

"Die Hedendaagse skilderkuns in SA" (HM van der Westhuysen) (Ons Erfdeel Vlaandere 5) (3) Maart 1962, p. 47

"South African Artists 1900-1962" (Harold Jeppe) (Afrikaanse Boekhandel), 1963, p. 108

"Art South Africa Today", Durban Art Gallery - July/August, 1965, cat. 28

Natal Witness, Durban - 17th May, 1965, 17th+18th+20th November, 1965, ill.

Natal Daily News, Durban - 22nd November, 1965, ill.

"Art & Artists of South Africa" (Berman) (Balkema), 1983, pp. 149, 310, 482/3 ill., 514, 516

„The Dictionary of South African Painters and Sculptors including Namibia“ (Ogilvie / Graff) (Everard Read), 1988 – ISBN 0 620 12663 9 – listed on p. 726

"150 South African Paintings Past and Present" (Alexander/Cohen) (Struikhof), 1990, p. 109, pl. 85

"Artists' Palate - a collection of artists' recipes" (Ladan / Doyle), 1991 - p.180, ill. - ISBN 0-620-15955-3

 

ARTLOOK 34 Johannesburg - September 1969, p. 11, ill.

LANTERN, Pretoria - December, 1979, "Alex Wagner" by Pamela Reid, pp. 50-56, ill.

S.A. Arts Calendar, Pretoria - Vol. 10 No. 4, Autumn - Review of Salon exhibition in home of Mary and John Slatter, Greytown - 26th October, 1985

 


Uploaded 10th January, 2016

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