Keep Tomorrow Free

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

This sparse canvas features two simply drawn heads of men, one has his face averted from the other. Much of the canvas is used up by the words that make up the title of the work, painted in simple lettering: ‘Keep Tomorrow Free’. The name of the artist and the date of the work, feature in similarly large, almost childish, letters at the bottom of the canvas, the blue paint of the date offering a visual balance to the red and black. The painting might seem naive in its execution yet creates an underlying tension with its subject matter or context. The date, the text and the two men together but not quite appearing to be so, are a poignant reminder of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and the surreptitiousness with which many in the LGBTQ+ communities felt compelled to live their lives. The artist David Robillard was diagnosed with HIV and died of an AIDS related illness in the year this painting was made – adding a further poignancy to the signature line and date. Robilliard had started his working life as a poet and was encouraged by the artists Gilbert and George, whom he modelled for in his early days in London, to incorporate images into his poetry. It was this that resulted in the body of work dubbed 'poem paintings', that this is part of. His art practice was radical for its time and pointed in the direction that the Young British Artists (YBAs) soon after began to gravitate towards.

David Robilliard was born in Guernsey and moved to London in 1975 hoping to gain a firmer footing as a poet and musician. He met the artist Andrew Heard in London who became his partner, and the artists Gilbert and George in 1979 whom he modelled for. They helped publish his first book of poetry which was launched amidst a backdrop of his drawings. Other poetry readings against backdrops of drawings followed, often in the bars and restaurants of Soho in London. Robillard never went to an art-school and was self-taught. His first solo exhibition was held at the Stephen Bartley Gallery in 1983 and his work was included posthumously in the British Art show in 1990. Solo exhibitions of his work have been held at the Stedelijk, Amsterdam (1993); Cornerhouse, Manchester (1998); ScheiblerMitte, Berlin (2009); and ICA, London (2014). His work is in a number of key collections including those of the Tate, MoMA, New York and Stedelijk, Amsterdam.

Places

Subjects

text-based work

Materials & Techniques

acrylic painting

Artist

David Robilliard (1952 - )

Title

Keep Tomorrow Free

Date

1988

Medium

Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions

height: 122.0 cm; width: 122.0 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Judy Adam and David Ward, April 2021

Provenance

Gifted by the artist to Judy Adam in 1988 and jointly owned by Judy Adam and David Ward since January 2001; from whom purchased by UK Government Art Collection, 23 April 2021

GAC number

19004