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Graham Foster (b. 1970)

The Wreck of the Sea Venture c.2009

Oil on canvas board | 57 x 30.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 408021

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  • A detailed painting of a shipwreck. Sea Venture was a seventeenth-century sailing ship, wrecked off Bermuda in 1609 en route to Jamestown, Virginia. After a three-day hurricane the captain deliberately drove the ship onto a reef on the east coast of Bermuda. All 150 people on board landed safely on shore. Some continued the journey to Jamestown, others became the first European settlers in Bermuda.

    Foster's work is at once a reflection of Bermuda's culture and now a tangible part of it. He is best known for his mural depicting five centuries of Bermudan history, located within the Commissioner's House at The Bermuda National Museum in Dockyard. Opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2009, the two-storey, 1000 square foot interior mural depicts five centuries of Bermudan history, and took aprroximately 7000 hours (over 3 years) to complete. Dr Edward Harris, Executive Director of the National Museum of Bermuda referred to the mural as 'one of the largest and most singular artefacts now in the the collections of the National Museum of Bermuda' and added that Foster's 'inclusive and vibrant' vision will 'interest and excite both residents and visitors, school students and educational professionals, about the complex but outstanding heritage of the island'. Other works by Foster can be found around Bermuda: The Yoko Ono endorsed John Lennon Tribute sculpture outside the Masterworks Museum of Art; the Maritime tree grates in front of the Washington Mall; the Brian Burland Tribute mural at The Bermuda College; and The History of the Elbow Beach Hotel mural at the Elbow Beach Hotel.

    A professsional artist since 1995, Foster was educated at The Bermuda College and the Museum School of Fine Arts, Boston. Graham's paintings tend to follow one of two directions. One is inspired by Bermuda's flora, fauna, architecture and people, captured in a uniquely surreal style and the other is looser, more expressionistic and often influenced by dreams and the subconscious. Foster is also a sculptor, working primarily in welded and forged steel, strongly influenced by the tribal arts of Africa and the Pacific Rim.

    In 2002, his welded and steel triptych, 21st Century Fetish Family, was purchased by the Bermuda National Gallery for their permanent collection. In 2009, he was included in the book Bermuda 1609-2009: 400 Years-400 Portraits, highlighting 400 Bermudians who have had a significant impact on the island's development over the last four centuries. In 2009, he won the $10,000 Charman Grand Prize for his painting The Mechanics of Extinction. He has won the Bermudian magazine's Best of Bermuda award for visual artist twice. In 2012, The Masterworks Museum of Art purchased a sculpture by the artist entitled Seas of Europa for their permanent collection. One of his recent works was presented to the New York Stock Exchange last year by the Hon. Premier Michael Dunkley on behalf of the Bank of Butterfield. He is a regular contributor to many of the Bermuda National Gallery Biennials, and enjoys talking to various school art programs, encouraging the nect generation of Bermuda based artists.
    Provenance

    Presented to Queen Elizabeth II at the Bermuda Maritime Museum during her official visit to Bermuda, 24–26 November 2009.

  • Medium and techniques

    Oil on canvas board

    Measurements

    57 x 30.2 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)

    72.7 x 43.8 cm (frame, external)


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