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BiographyUntitled, ca. 1990'sTom Fairs was born in London, England (1925) and lived in Hampstead, England. He studied at the Hornsey School of Art from 1948 to 1950 and at the Royal College of Art from 1950 to 1954, where he studied stained glass design and subsequently received glass commissions for the next twenty years. He taught fine art and stage design from 1967 to 1987 at the Central School of Art and Design (now Central Saint Martin’s) in London, England. From 1963 to his death in 2007, the artist shared his life with the novelist Elisabeth Russell Taylor. Their attic flat is within close proximity to Hampstead Heath where, in his years of retirement from teaching, Fairs sketched daily. He passed away in 2007. His work has been on view in solo exhibitions internationally, such as Tom Fairs (2012) at The Modern Institute in Glasglow, Scotland and Tom Fairs: Homage to Bonnard (2008) at The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, Yorkshire and The New Grafton Gallery in London, England. He received solo exhibitions in New York City at Kerry Schuss (2011-2015). Fairs has been included in numerous group exhibitions, such as Drawn Together Again (2019) at Flag Art Foundation, New York, NY; Gaze (2018) at Van Doren Waxter, New York, NY; and Outside (2016) at Karma, Amagansett, NY, curated by Matthew Higgs. His work has been reviewed and featured in publications such as Artforum, Bomb, New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere.
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Works
Tom Fairs
Untitled, c. 1997-2007Oilstick, crayon and pencil on paper mounted to cardstock8 3/4 x 8 inches (22.2 x 20.3 cm)Exhibitions-
Small is Beautiful
2nd Floor Gallery February 6 - April 4, 2025Van Doren Waxter is pleased to present Small is Beautiful, an exhibition of small-scale works by 22 artists, both familiar and new faces to the gallery’s program. The exhibition features...Read more -
Tom Fairs
In the Landscape: Hampstead and Beyond, 3rd Floor January 3 - February 11, 2023Van Doren Waxter is delighted to open an exhibition of five oil paintings on canvas and twelve works on paper in oil, oil stick and pastel by Tom Fairs (1925-2007),...Read more -
Tom Fairs in Color:
Paintings and Drawings 1997-2007: 3rd Floor September 10 - November 2, 2019Van Doren Waxter is pleased to announce exclusive representation of the Estate of Tom Fairs. A highly anticipated exhibition of his rarely seen oils and paintings on paper, Tom Fairs...Read more -
Gaze
August 1 - 30, 2018Van Doren Waxter is pleased to present Gaze, a multigenerational group exhibition which explores multidisciplinary approaches to depicting forms found in or related to the natural world. Featured historical and...Read more -
Tom Fairs
Drawings May 2 - June 3, 2017My interest is primarily in things seen: landscape, interiors, still life where, in the light of the imagination, the commonplace may be transformed into the extraordinary. The ever-present transforming principle...Read more
NewsPublicationsArt fairs-
Independent 20th Century
Booth A5 September 5 - 8, 2024For the 2024 Independent 20th Century, Van Doren Waxter is pleased to present Landscape Figuration , showcasing works by Rosemarie Beck, Zoe Longfield, Vivian Springford,...Read more -
Art Basel Miami Beach
December 8 - 10, 2023Meridians : Alan Shields Kabinett : Alan Shields: Works on PaperRead more -
Frieze Masters
October 12 - 16, 2022Works Available By: Max Bill Richard Diebenkorn Tom Fairs Hans Hofmann Willem de Kooning John McLaughlin Vera Molnár Camille Pissarro Ken Price Harvey Quaytman Pierre-Auguste...Read more -
The Armory Show
March 5 - 8, 2020Read more -
The Art Show
February 27 - March 3, 2020Read more
Press-
What to See in N.Y.C. Galleries Right Now
by Will Heinrich, The New York Times , January 26, 2023 -
News
Artforum Online, August 16, 2019 -
Tom Fairs: 'Drawings June - July 2004'
by Roberta Smith, The New York Times, November 29, 2012 -
It's Hard to Lie in a Drawing
by John Yau, Hyperallergic, November 25, 2012 -
Tom Fairs 'Drawings'
by Ken Johnson, The New York Times, June 2, 2011
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