Kate Hepburn
Bio
After concluding her studies in Graphic Design at the Central School of Arts, in 1972 Kate Hepburn graduated from the Royal College of Art. In 1974, Hepburn was commissioned by Pink Floyd's Nick Mason to paint the drums that were used by the band on their mythical tour of Japan, entitled “Hokusai's The Great Wave”. Her stage as a graphic designer was strongly marked by her time at Spare Rib, the first feminist magazine in the United Kingdom, in which she served as Art Director. T Recent collaborations of hers for the Pink Floyd exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Rolling Stones at the Saatchi Gallery, both in London, were the main motivation for rediscovering and producing the early personal work of the great graphic artist Kate Hepburn. Her most recent exhibition was held in 2022 at Palazzo Morosina (Venice).
Statement
The works in the “Bends and circles” series were initially conceived by Kate Hepburn during the years 1966-1967 at the Central School of Art in London. Screen printing was the ideal technique to use as it offered a direct and accessible way to experiment with colour and form. The “Bends” series depicts layers of geometric shapes, while “Circles” recalls the famous 1960s stripes and spheres of iconic British fashion designer Mary Quant. Inspired by her first series developed in the sixties, "Bends and circles" is located in that era of artistic and technological explosion. Geometric shapes and the predominance of color invaded art galleries, fashion catwalks, the graphics of pop and rock bands, in short, all the visual culture of a time that left its mark. Hepburn's work is a clear representative of the contemporary dynamism of the 1960s and 1970s on a grand scale. An advanced age, a way of life through creative expression.
2.5 x 4m / 98.4 x 157 in
