Born in London in 1930, Ayres later trained at the Camberwell School of Art — she left before her final exam, rejecting academic convention in favour of an instinctive approach to painting. Influenced by American Abstract Expressionism, Ayres emerged within the British avant-garde circles of the 1950s and 1960s.
She adopted a very physical approach with her early work, laying huge boards on the floor and splattering them with thick layers of paint. For Ayres, abstraction was liberation, with the artist once saying, ‘There are no rules.’
Her expansive canvases are almost immersive, redefining the relationship between the artwork and the audience. While her work resists narrative, it still evokes a deeply personal response, inviting viewers into a world that is at once visceral and contemplative.
Throughout her career, Ayres received widespread critical acclaim, with shows held at the Serpentine Gallery and the Tate. Shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1989, the artist was then elected to the Royal Academy in 1991. Ayres died in 2018, aged 88.
Today, her works are held in major collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the British Museum in London. With an oeuvre spanning more than five decades, Ayres’s legacy is one of unrestrained creativity, which pushed the boundaries of painterly expression.
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
High-light Night
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Calliope
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Papagena
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Anadyomene
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Orpheus and Eurydice
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Black and White Composition
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Midsummer's Eve
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Orange, Yellow, Black, Blue
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Untitled
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Untitled
GILLIAN AYRES (1930-2018)
Summer Region
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
The Echoling Grove
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Orange, Yellow, Black, Blue
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Untitled (1956)
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
September Song
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Cleopatra's Wedding
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Sophia's Dance
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Untitled
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Untitled (Seillans 7)
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Seillans 3
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Untitled
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Six squares
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Helicon
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Loth to Depart
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Seillans 1
GILLIAN AYRES, R.A. (1930-2018)
Katsura
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Mooltan
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Abstract
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Untitled
Gillian Ayres, R.A. (b. 1930)
Sermons 12
Gillian Ayres (b. 1930)
Sikar II
Gillian Ayres R.A. (b. 1930)
Abstract Composition; Untitled; Composition; Untitled II