Biography
Jeremy Moon (1934-1973)
Born in 1934, Jeremy Moon studied law at Cambridge, and worked in advertising in London before becoming an artist there in 1961. He developed a distinctive abstract language defined by flat areas of clean, bright colour that became progressively geometric in form. Moon was one of the first painters to develop the shaped canvas in Britain, in tandem with adopting the new acrylic paints on a large scale.
He was one of the first artists to join the seminal Rowan Gallery in London, and exhibited with them between 1963 and 1973. He taught at both St Martin’s School of Art, in the sculpture department, and Chelsea School of Art, in the painting department. He lived and worked in London until 1966, before moving to Kingston upon Thames, Surrey and building a studio there. Moon died in a motorcycle accident in Kingston in November 1973.
Timeline
1934-1961
Early life and awakening
Jeremy Moon was born on August 29, 1934, in Altrincham, Cheshire. He completed National Service in Korea, and followed in his father's footsteps to study Law at Christ's College, Cambridge betweenn 1954 and 1957. After graduation, Moon moved to London to work as account executive for an advertising agency in Soho. During this time he explored jazz, ballet, choreography and painting in his spare time. A pivotal moment came in 1960 when he visited the Situation exhibition, which showcased large-scale British abstract painting for the first time. Moon later described this as "one very exciting particular moment which coincided with my realization that painting was what I particularly wanted to do." He left advertising in 1961 to become an artist, enrolling at Central School of Art for just three weeks.
1962-1963
First recognition
Working from his Chepstow Road studio in Notting Hill, Moon completed 14 paintings in 1962 and began working on a larger scale. He first exhibited when "Study for a Painting with Crosses" and a sculpture "Three Cubes with Variations" were selected for the Young Contemporaries exhibition. "Three Cubes with Variations" won the Associated Electrical Industries Prize for Sculpture there. The newly opened Rowan Gallery visited his studio and in August 1963, Moon had his debut exhibition with them, a two-person show with David Taggart. He also married Beth Bryant and began teaching part-time at St Martin's School of Art that year.
1964-1966
Innovation with Form and Medium
Moon switched from oil to acrylic in 1964, with 'Eagle' his first work in acrylic. He became one of the first British artists to experiment with shaped canvases. Of his 20 paintings in 1964, nine used shaped forms, including triangular canvases and the diamond-shaped 'Spring Voyage'. In 1965, five paintings were included in "London: The New Scene," which toured US museums. His first solo exhibition opened at the Rowan Gallery in June 1965. The practical demands of larger works led the family to move Kingston upon Thames in 1966, where Moon built a dedicated studio in his garden.
1967-1968
Y-Shaped paintings breakthrough
Working in his new Kingston studio, Moon completed 19 paintings in 1967, including his Y-shaped canvases. The January 1968 exhibition of these works launched the Rowan Gallery's program at its new Bruton Place location. Art historian Charles Harrison profiled him for Studio International, describing Moon as "a highly professional painter, dedicated to a very demanding and very unadulterated conception of painting." Tate acquired "Blue Rose" from 1967, and his design appeared on a Studio International cover that year.
1968-1970
The Grid years
From 1968, Moon developed his signature form: the grid. He completed 22 paintings in 1968, including 12 grid paintings. In 1969, he completed 'Apollo', one of his largest works and the last shaped canvas until 1972. The remaining 25 paintings were grid-based, culminating in broken grids continuing into 1970. His Y-shaped 'Union' was featured in BBC's documentary series "The Visual Scene." Moon completed 14 more grid paintings in 1970, exploring diagonal, horizontal, and vertical variations.
1971-1973
Critical voice and final evolution
Moon had his fifth solo exhibition at the Rowan in 1971 and taught at Norway's Voss Fine Arts summer school. His essay 'Enemies of Painting' was published in Studio International that year. In 1972, he returned to shaped canvases and created his first sculpture since the early 1960s. He proposed major survey exhibitions to the Arts Council and the ICA, advocating for contemporary British painting recognition. In 1973, Moon completed 15 paintings, including new shaped canvases. In October, he was interviewed by Barry Martin for One magazine. That year, he reflected: 'It seems that all the rhythms and flow and life and vitality in painting actually operates best when the painting itself is one static harmonious form.' On November 30, 1973, while returning from teaching at Chelsea School of Art, Jeremy Moon was killed in a motorcycle accident near Kingston. He was 39.
after 1973
Tragic end and legacy
The Arts Council organised a touring retrospective of Moon's work, commencing at the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1976. There was a second touring UK retrospective held in 2001. Luhring Augustine in New York have represented Jeremy Moon since 2017 and working with The Estate of Jeremy Moon published the monograph 'Jeremy Moon: Starlight Hour' in 2023. The Estate is based in London.
