New Zealand-based artist Brad Donovan began his artistic career earlier than most, selling his drawings of cartoons to other children in the primary school playground and spending weekends recreating The Simpsons comic books. Today, his bright, super-flat style and playful humour is capturing the attention of dealers, collectors, and galleries worldwide.
Donovan draws inspiration from book illustrations, but equally, the works of the old masters, resulting in a juxtaposition of traditional themes and compositions with contemporary imagery. The precisely rendered two-dimensional forms of his signature acrylic style inspire a sense of nostalgia for 1990s cartoons in viewers, providing instant and wide appeal. However, it is a closer examination of all his careful, deliberate details that reveal the artistic vision and finesse that has landed Donovan’s work in private collections and on gallery walls in recent years. Donovan has been a finalist in the Wallace Arts Trust Awards and the Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards, and is currently working towards upcoming solo shows in both Seoul and London.
Featured image: Brad Donovan, But You Mistake, It Is Not. Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90cm. Courtesy: the artist.