Paul Harvey (born 7 May 1960) is a British musician and Stuckist artist, whose work was used to promote the Stuckists’ 2004 show at the Liverpool Biennial.[1] His paintings draw on pop art and the work of Alphonse Mucha,[2] and often depict celebrities, including Madonna.[2][3]
. . . Paul Harvey (artist) . . .
Paul Harvey was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. He attended Burton Grammar School (1971–1978) and North Staffordshire Polytechnic (1978–1982) for Foundation Art and BA (Hons) Design.[1] In 1982, he moved to London and played in post-punk bands including Happy Refugees; in 1986 he moved to Newcastle to join Pauline Murray‘s band.[1] During this time, he co-published-and-drew Mauretania Comics with comics artist Chris Reynolds, and also taught graffiti art.[1]
In 2001, he became a full-time lecturer in graphic design at North Tyneside College (now Tyne Metropolitan College, within The Creative Studios department). The same year, he joined the Stuckism art group, founding a Newcastle branch.[1] In 2002, he joined Murray’s re-formed punk band Penetration; he curated the show, Stuck in Newcastle, at the Newcastle Arts Centre,[1] and was a joint winner of the Stuckists Real Turner Prize Show 2002.[4]
He showed with the group at the Wednesbury Museum in 2003.[5] 2003–2005, he gained an MA in Fine Art Practice at the University of Northumbria.[1][5] In 2004, he was the Stuckist co-curator with Hiroko Oshima of the Ryu Art Group of the show, Members Only: the Artist Group in Japan and Britain,[1] which took place at the Bailiffgate Museum, Alnwick.
He was a featured artist in The Stuckists Punk Victorian show at the Walker Art Gallery for the 2004 Liverpool Biennial.[6] His painting of artist and model Emily Mann was used to promote the show. The painting was based on a photograph of Mann by Charles Thomson and was originally intended to promote the Stuckists Real Turner Prize Show 2003: at that time the placard contained the text, “Serota needs a good spanking”.[1]
However, according to Harvey, another artist Gina Bold “got really angry and started a debate about the S&M/fetish allusion. She got really pissed off with me because I didn’t agree with her. Then it got a bit nasty—the whole thing was just daft. Then the show got cancelled—and it had all been a complete waste of my fucking time.”[1] He later repainted the placard with a woman’s face, and it was used in this form for the Walker show.[1]
In 2006, he was one of the ten “leading Stuckists”[7] in the Go West exhibition at Spectrum London gallery. In 2007, he was in the show, I Won’t Have Sex with You as Long as We’re Married, at the A Gallery.[8]
In 2008, he was commissioned by Job cigarette papers to create a set of campaign posters with a stylistic reference to Alphonse Mucha, who had created earlier paintings for the firm.[9] Harvey made works featuring famous double acts to emphasise the sales message of “The Original Double”, a reference to the twin-size packets of papers made by Job.[9] Harvey’s enthusiasm for the project came about because “Mucha is one of his heroes”, said Mark Ross, the director of Glorious Creative agency managing the campaign.[9] The work created some controversy:[10]Gilbert and George gave their endorsement to the images, but The Mighty Boosh and The White Stripes were not pleased to be featured.[10]Famous Doubles, a show of the original paintings used for the posters, was promoted at the Wanted Gallery in Notting Hill by Fraser Kee Scott, director of the A Gallery.[10][11]
In 2009, his painting of Charles Saatchi was banned from the window display of the Artspace Gallery in Maddox Street, London, on the grounds that it was “too controversial for the area”.[12][13] It was the centrepiece of the show, Stuckist Clowns Doing Their Dirty Work, the first exhibition of the Stuckists in Mayfair,[12] and showed Saatchi with a sheep at his feet and a halo made from a cheese wrapper.[14] The Saatchi Gallery said that Saatchi “would not have any problem” with the painting’s display.[14] The gallery announced they were shutting down the show.[12] Harvey said:
- I did it to make Saatchi look friendly and human. It’s a ludicrous decision because it’s not even a controversial painting. It’s just Dairylea cheese and a sheep and some lemons, because he likes lemonade.[14]
The Stuckists considered legal action, and co-ordinated, on the event’s Facebook page, a campaign of emails to the gallery,[15] which agreed to exhibit the painting in the window and to continue the show.[15]
As of 2010, Harvey is researching a PhD on Stuckism at Northumbria University.[15][needs update]
Currently,[when?] Harvey teaches Graphic Design at Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College in North Shields.[citation needed]
. . . Paul Harvey (artist) . . .