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A composite image of three John Hoyland paintings. Left to right; River Tales, Survivor Man and Arvak. River Tales has a blue background. Three red stripes come vertically down the left side of the painting. Next to that is a wider, more irregular red stripe with black paint streaked through. Ovals of orange, yellow, navy and blue are next to it. Then there is a pink rectangle that extends vertically down the piece, with four green stripes going down it. Survivor Man (centre) has a black background with a large yellow splash extending out from the centre in all directions. Approx one third into the painting is a vertical red stripe. In the centre, there is a large blue circle, with a smaller yellow circle in the centre. An orange ring goes around the yellow circle. Small splashes of other bright colours are smattered around the rest of the canvas. Arvak has a green background. There is a spray of yellow paint on the bottom left corner. At the top left, there is a pink circular design. Most of the canvas is dedicated to an orange triangle outline, with what looks like simplistic legs and feet extending from the bottom. There is a large patch of pink/red paint underneath the orange triangle. A composite image of three John Hoyland paintings. Left to right; River Tales, Survivor Man and Arvak. River Tales has a blue background. Three red stripes come vertically down the left side of the painting. Next to that is a wider, more irregular red stripe with black paint streaked through. Ovals of orange, yellow, navy and blue are next to it. Then there is a pink rectangle that extends vertically down the piece, with four green stripes going down it. Survivor Man (centre) has a black background with a large yellow splash extending out from the centre in all directions. Approx one third into the painting is a vertical red stripe. In the centre, there is a large blue circle, with a smaller yellow circle in the centre. An orange ring goes around the yellow circle. Small splashes of other bright colours are smattered around the rest of the canvas. Arvak has a green background. There is a spray of yellow paint on the bottom left corner. At the top left, there is a pink circular design. Most of the canvas is dedicated to an orange triangle outline, with what looks like simplistic legs and feet extending from the bottom. There is a large patch of pink/red paint underneath the orange triangle.

L-R. John Hoyland, River Tales, 5.8.99, © The John Hoyland Estate, photo © Colin Mills. John Hoyland, Survivor Man, 17.8.08, © The John Hoyland Estate, photo © Todd White. John Hoyland, Arvak, 19.4.93, © The John Hoyland Estate, photo © Colin Mills.

L-R. John Hoyland, River Tales, 5.8.99, © The John Hoyland Estate, photo © Colin Mills. John Hoyland, Survivor Man, 17.8.08, © The John Hoyland Estate, photo © Todd White. John Hoyland, Arvak, 19.4.93, © The John Hoyland Estate, photo © Colin Mills.

Strange Presence: John Hoyland Paintings

Sat 18 January - Sun 18 May 2025

Millennium Gallery

This spring, two new exhibitions at the Millennium Gallery celebrate the acclaimed Sheffield-born artist, John Hoyland (1934 – 2011). On display in the gallery’s smaller exhibition space, Strange Presence showcases a selection of the bold, striking abstract paintings for which Hoyland is best known.

 

Visitors will see 10 Hoyland paintings, including a number of his large-scale works. The paintings are accompanied by sketchbooks, photographs and archival film offering a rare insight into Hoyland’s inspiration and studio practice. 

Strange Presence will be followed in February by These Mad Hybrids: John Hoyland and Contemporary Sculpture, which presents Hoyland’s rarely seen explorations of sculptural forms, alongside work by Caroline Achaintre, Phyllida Barlow, Hew Locke and more. Together, these two exhibitions highlight the dynamic connection between Hoyland’s approach to painting and sculpture, challenging the boundaries of what both sculpture and painting can be and how they speak to each other.

Strange Presence: John Hoyland Paintings has been curated by Sam Cornish and Wiz Patterson Kelly of the John Hoyland Estate.

Suggested donation £5 – please donate if you're able and help keep your museums open and available for everyone to enjoy.


See more of Hoyland’s work at Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, where four of his ceramic sculptures are shown in conversation with four related paintings in John Hoyland: Imaginary Beings, until 16 March 2025, free entry.

Free Entry | Please Donate £5

Opening Times

Tue–Sat 10am–5pm

Sun 11am–4pm

Millennium Gallery

Arundel Gate

Sheffield

S1 2PP

A photograph of John Hoyland's painting Arvak. Arvak has a green background. There is a spray of yellow paint on the bottom left corner. At the top left, there is a pink circular design. Most of the canvas is dedicated to an orange triangle outline, with what looks like simplistic legs and feet extending from the bottom. There is a large patch of pink/red paint underneath the orange triangle

John Hoyland, Arvak, 19.4.93, acrylic on canvas

© The John Hoyland estate. Photo © Colin Mills

Exhibition highlights

  • A photograph of John Hoyland's painting River Tales. River Tales has a blue background. Three red stripes come vertically down the left side of the painting. Next to that is a wider, more irregular red stripe with black paint streaked through. Ovals of orange, yellow, navy and blue are next to it. Then there is a pink rectangle that extends vertically down the piece, with four green stripes going down it.

    John Hoyland, River Tales, 5.8.99, acrylic on canvas

    © The John Hoyland estate. Photo © Colin Mills

  • A photograph of John Hoyland's painting Survivor Man. Survivor Man has a black background with a large yellow splash extending out from the centre in all directions. Approx one third into the painting is a vertical red stripe. In the centre, there is a large blue circle, with a smaller yellow circle in the centre. An orange ring goes around the yellow circle. Small splashes of other bright colours are smattered around the rest of the canvas.

    John Hoyland, Survivor Man, 17.8.08, acrylic on canvas

    © The John Hoyland Estate. Photo Todd White

  • A photograph of John Hoyland's painting Herald. Herald has a brown background. At the bottom left, there is a small red triangle. Above that, and taking up most of the painting is a large, white quarter circle. Inside that are different coloured shapes, in blue, green, purple, pink and yellow. At the bottom right there is a small light brown circle. Above that, and arching round the white quarter circle, is a brown arch shape.

    John Hoyland, Herald 10.4.83, acrylic on canvas

    © The John Hoyland estate. Photo © Colin Mills

  • A photograph of John Hoyland's painting Arvak. Arvak has a green background. There is a spray of yellow paint on the bottom left corner. At the top left, there is a pink circular design. Most of the canvas is dedicated to an orange triangle outline, with what looks like simplistic legs and feet extending from the bottom. There is a large patch of pink/red paint underneath the orange triangle

    11. John Hoyland, Arvak, 19.4.93, arylic on canvas

    © The John Hoyland estate. Photo © Colin Mills

A photograph of Hoyland's work Thupelo Memory, shown against a white background. A pink, yellow and blue painted triangle shape rests a top a pink, oval shaped base. A pink curved shape rests behind it, snaking up to the top of the triangle. Behind that is a large pink circle shape, with a line through it. All are decorated with splodges of red and burgundy paint.

ALSO SHOWING – These Mad Hybrids: John Hoyland and Contemporary Sculpture

20 Feb – 18 May 2025  |  Millennium Gallery

Discover John Hoyland’s rarely seen explorations of sculptural forms, alongside work by Caroline Achaintre, Phyllida Barlow, Hew Locke and more.

Free Exhibition  |  Please Donate £5

 

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