Verne Dawson

In Verne Dawson’s paintings the ways in which we mark time, invent stories and symbols, and regard the governing structures and belief systems of our lives are caught up in a playful entanglement of narratives that includes the story of painting itself. His work expresses a long-held interest in charting the continuities of human nature and culture and the perpetuation of methods of timekeeping through oral and visual traditions.

Delving into popular culture his paintings often explore mathematical and astronomical signs in folklore, calendars and astrology. Despite a preoccupation with symbolic reference, Dawson’s visual language does not attempt to idealise his subject matter. Rather, his painting style is grounded in the vernacular, offering careful consideration of narrative through composition and detail.

In his work, time collapses as past, present and future are represented in paintings that obey a non-linear chronology; often they stand simultaneously as a visualising of the past and as a perception of the present from an imagined future, where the natural and man-made retain a more balanced co-existence. Characteristically, his works present an exploration of the continuities of nature and civilisation, and a belief in the enduring vitality of beauty and painting as a primary form of visceral and visual communication.

About the Aritist

?Born in 1955, Verne Dawson divides his time between New York and North Carolina. In recent years he has been the subject of monographic shows at Karma, New York, USA (2025, 2022); Eva Presenhuber, Zürich, Switzerland (2023, 2016); Gavin Brown's Enterprise, New York, USA (2019, 2017); Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland (2016); Le Consortium, Dijon, France (2006); Camden Arts Centre, London, UK (2005) and Kunsthalle, Zürich, Switzerland (2002). Dawson's work has been featured in significant international exhibitions such as Yokohama Triennial, Japan (2011); the Whitney Biennial, USA (2010); the Lyon Biennial, France (2006), and the Venice Biennial (2003). His work has been presented in shows at venues such as MoMA PS1, New York; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

Lund Humphries published a major illustrated monograph of Dawson’s work as part of their Contemporary Painters Series in March 2019.