Still Life with Figs and Flowers

PETER NADIN
Born 1954 in Bromborough, England

Nadin’s principal medium throughout the 1980s was painting, although he also produced sculpture and published poetry, including “Poetry Room,” a one-year installation at American Fine Art Gallery. Although his work from this time passed through a variety of styles, its primary focus is the representation of consciousness through painterly marks—a theme that Nadin returned to throughout his career.

The son of a sea captain, Peter Nadin grew up in Bromborough, a small town near Liverpool in England. He was born there in 1954. His family was very close-knit; both grandparents lived in close proximity. A childhood speech impediment led Nadin to an early appreciation of the communicative powers of painting and poetry. His love of poetry has continued unabated to the present day.

He attended art school in the mid 1970’s at England's University of Newcastle and after graduation at twenty-two, came alone to New York City where he knew no one. He soon became involved with a group of artists that included Jenny Holzer, Daniel Buren, Richard Prince, Lawrence Weiner, and Chris d'Arcangelo. They collaborated in many different ways: sharing galleries, writing and publishing books, etc.

In 1992, Nadin ceased to exhibit his art and turned to farming. He acquired Old Field Farm, a farm dating to the early 19th century in Cornwallville, a hamlet in the northern Catskills of New York. After an absence of almost 20 years, Nadin held his first exhibition in New York in 2011 at Gavin Brown’s enterprise in the West Village.

Peter Nadin had had solo exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, and showed at Brooke Alexander Gallery in New York. He also participated in many group shows, including the 1988 Venice Biennale.