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David RankinOAM is aNew York-basedAustralian artist. He works predominantly inoil painting andacrylic on canvas, but also works with paper, prints, sculptures and ceramics. Rankin has held over 100 one-person exhibitions in cities across the world and his work forms part of many of the world's leading collections and museums.[1]
David Rankin was born inPlymouth,Devon,England in 1946 then emigrated to Australia with his family in 1948. He spent his childhood in the 1950s in the semi-ruralPort Hacking region, south ofSydney, and his teenage years in countryNew South Wales, fromHay,Wagga Wagga andAlbury in the south toBourke andBrewarrina in the north.[citation needed]
Rankin is self-taught, developing his techniques and ideas in the outback towns of his youth. He was inspired by the greats fromLeonardo da Vinci toPaul Klee as well as being influenced by the history ofBuddhism andAsian art.[citation needed]
In his travels before he arrived in Sydney in 1967 he developed a concept of what he wanted to achieve as an Australian artist. His dream was to express theanima, the life spirit or the essence of God in all nature. As an Australian artist he believed could bring the elements of Western Art together with an understanding and love for the cultures of Asia and the AustralianAborigine. He also felt that as Australia was closer to Asia than Europe it made sense to think about the art of Indian, Chinese and Japanese artists, and that one could not be an authentic articulate Australian artist without a love and respect for the artistic and spiritual expressions of the variousAboriginal Australian peoples and cultures.[citation needed]
In Sydney Rankin had his first exhibition throughWatters Gallery at age 22.[citation needed]
In 1979 his first wife,Jennifer Mary Roberts (née Haynes) died. Rankin subsequently met his current wifeLily Brett, whose own life was etched by tragedy with her parents being survivors of theHolocaust. She too migrated to Australia as a child after theSecond World War in 1948. The artist recounts that his empathy for Lily and the pity for his first wife's death fused into what he calls "the dark blessing of my life." The darkness was transformed into images. The authorDore Ashton writes that the events of 1979 and the fire which ravaged his studio in 1997 and burnt his art works and many personal possessions, had a profound impact on his work.
Having personal life experiences as his subject matter, Rankin's paintings contemplate these things. For example, hisJerusalem series followed a trip toJerusalem in 1988, which then led to hisGolgotha works. His travels to the Australian, American and Mexicandeserts became the subject matter for many of his canvases, such asRidge – Mungo,Golden Prophecy – San Antonio,Grey Sonora Landscape and then led to hisWitness Series. From the fire in his studio he then paintedBuddha and Flames. He illustrated two books byLily Brett on the holocaust and explored the theme further in his huge workThe Drowned and The Saved from a book byPrimo Levi of the same name. Through Brett he encountered Jewish mythology and paintedBlack Menorah andBlack Tfiln and as a testament to his love for her created hisHusband and Wife Series includingHusband and Wife Triptych III, andHusband and Wife – Ying and Yang.[citation needed]
In 1989 Rankin moved with his wife toNew York City. From their home in New York they continue to explore both their Australian roots and culture and the opportunities and challenges of being part of an international community. Their three children, including celebrated artistJessica Rankin, also live in New York. His daughter-in-law is artistJulie Mehretu.
In the past 30 years Rankin has held over 100 one-person exhibitions in cities includingParis,Beijing, New York, Cologne and throughout Australia. He is represented in many of the world's leading collections and museums, including theNational Gallery of Victoria. He was selected as Australia's official representative in theUNESCO Fortieth Anniversary Exhibition celebrations that toured the world's capitals. He was featured in theSalon de Mai inParis and theChicago Art Fair. Among the many prizes and awards he has been honored with is the 1983Wynne Prize, Australia's premier landscape prize. Recently an English-German monograph on his work titled"The Walls of the Heart: The Work and Life of David Rankin" was published by US critic and art historianDore Ashton. In 2005-2006 a major exhibition of Rankin's art, curated by Dore Ashton, toured through public galleries in Australia.
Among his many commissioned works areThe Scorched Earth, 1984–85, oil on canvas, diptych at theVictorian Arts Centre, Melbourne. The Committee for Bosnia, commissioned a poster,A Day for Bosnia, at The University of Chicago. His oil paintings, large watercolours and ceramics appear at the New York Vista Hotel.
In September 2013, a book byDore Ashton on David Rankin's work titledDavid Rankin: The New York Years was released.[2]
Rankin was awarded theMedal of the Order of Australia in the2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.[3]
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