Entering its last week on view, Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills is presenting new paintings by London-based artist Dexter Dalwood in the exhibition, Endless Night. The titled was appropriated from the William Blake poem “Auguries of Innocence” and references, as you may expect, death. In his new series of paintings, Dalwood explores several death scenarios from public figures, some real and some fictional. However, the images are not figurative and each embody a sense of abstraction which blocks the viewer from gazing directly onto the horrific scenes, leaving only clues to piece together an otherwise fragmented narrative. In addition to the history of theses deaths, Dalwood infuses each painting with elements from art history, borrowing aesthetic devises from artists such as Clifford Still and Monet. Through these paintings it appears that Dalwood is also able to examine the many cycles of life and death that have occurred through the history of painting.

Born in Bristol in 1960, Dalwood studied at St Martins School of Art and the Royal College of Art in the UK. He has exhibited several times with the Gagosian Gallery and has been the subject of several international museum exhibitions. The artist has a forthcoming mid-career survey opening next year at Tate St Ives. The exhibition will then travel to FRAC Champagne–Ardenne in Reims, France and then CAC Malaga in Spain.