British artist Lincoln Townley has launched a special collection of ‘The Bankers’ representing the power and global success of women in business.
This summer Townley celebrated ten years of the successful Bankers Collection with a special show at the world-renowned La Biennale in Venice.
The London-born artist’s biggest show to date opened in April at the prestigious Palazzo Bembo on The Grand Canal.
Thousands of art lovers have so far viewed the works and he was urged to launch the faces of women in finance after being inspired by the power of women who work the global markets.
Townley witnessed the increased demand for his works from women in business and finance who have exactly the same ruthless drive and ambition to succeed as their male counterparts.
He has created a special collection of six new exclusive Bankers which represent women in finance, for women in finance.
Lincoln said: “The landscape of leaders within the financial markets has changed drastically, now a majority of my new collectors are women. These women are very powerful within the global money markets and asset management, acknowledging this has fuelled my new collection of female skull bankers and the demand for these colourful neon portraits has overwhelmed me. I wanted to create a real presence of power with these pieces, the colours pop and the faces portray confidence, style and strength.”
The pieces were created in his Manchester studio and the artworks are 59 x 85cm embellished with layers of neon spray templates.
The works are being sold by Lincoln’s studio group which is in Manchester, London and also his new studio in Los Angeles which opened this month in Downtown LA.
Lincoln has seen incredible interest in his Bankers portraits. The La Biennale collection of 24 abstract figurative oil paintings explore the controversial obsession with money, power and greed focussing on the world of bankers.
The powerful paintings, some reaching sizes of over eight feet square, will be on display to the world’s art lovers and buyers in Venice until November 24.
The prestigious show has been eighteen months in the planning and this is the third time Townley has successfully exhibited at La Biennale.
All 24 of the works priced at £160,000 each have already been bought by bankers and global financial gurus who resonate with the powerful images and he has seen similar interest in his female bankers works.
Lincoln Townley said of the Bankers collection: “I have always looked at greed as a very positive energy. In the case of my sell out show at the Venice Biennale, it’s all about power consuming power, the savage god that my buyers worship! It’s the god we see only when we have the courage and the honesty to look beyond good and evil, to suspend our judgment and see our ravenous species for what it is. My collectors see themselves in my work, they hang these oil works with pride and celebrate the fact that they push boundaries to secure 100 per cent of the deals they are working on within their financial world. There is glory in greed and glory can only be acquired through risk.”
One of the UK’s most successful modern artists, Townley’s dramatic rise to fame in the global art market has seen him grow from ten years ago to today where his work sells for in excess of £1million. His original oil paintings of demons drawn from the unconscious mind, have been exhibited at major international galleries including the National Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Los Angeles and the Brisbane Powerhouse.
Townley is also known for his celebrated and highly collectible ICONS series being commissioned to paint many of the world’s biggest icons including Charlie Sheen, Al Pacino, Sir Michael Caine.
The portraits of stars Lincoln has painted also include the annual BAFTA honourees, Dame Judi Dench, John Cleese, Kate Moss, Charlie Sheen, Russell Brand, Leonardo Di Caprio, Marlon Brando, Princess Diana, Mohammed Ali, David Bowie, Pele, Ronaldinho and many others.
Lincoln painted Sir Michael Caine and his wife Shakira, after presenting him the painting the legendary actor said: “There’s no doubt in my opinion that Lincoln is the next Andy Warhol.”
The global launch at La Biennale of 24 works of art depict banker’s desires and the need to succeed. The collection shows graphically the layers of our lives controlled by the use of oil paint in the twisted, empty faces.
The self taught artist married to British actress Denise Welch is well established in global art market and is now collected across the world including America, Australia, the Middle East and Europe.
The Venice Biennale has been established for over 120 years and is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Established in 1895, the Biennale has an attendance of over 500,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition every year. The history of the La Biennale di Venezia dates back from 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organised. In the 1930s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival in history). In 1980 the first International Architecture Exhibition took place and in 1999 Dance made its debut at La Biennale.
La Biennale has hosted collections over the years including many British artists such as Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Richard Hamilton, Gilbert & George, Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, Tracey Erin, Sarah Lucas and Steve McQueen.
