McKinnon Films

Michael McKinnon

Michael McKinnon studied painting at the Royal College of Art in London where in 1968 he formed the ‘Continuum’ group with Robert Janz and Dante Leonelli. His paintings and sculptures have been widely exhibited in Europe and in the United States. He began to work in documentary film in 1978.

Chronology

• 1940 Born. Beulah, Victoria, Austrailia.
• 1959-61 Read art history at Melbourne University and studied painting at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
• 1961-65 Taught art and design in secondary schools in Victoria.
• 1965 Awarded British Council Grant and English Speaking Union travelling scholarship.
• 1965-68 Studied painting at The Royal College of Art, London. Dyason Bequest Award from Art Gallery of New South Wales. First kinetic works with Robert Janz.
• 1967 Exhibited: Prospex ’67, London and Brussels.
• Received Anstruther Painting Prize, Royal College of Art.
• 1968 Formed ‘Continuum’ Group with Robert Janz and Dante Leonelli.
• Appointed Fine Arts Editor of ARK, Royal College of Art Magazine.
• Awarded 1st class honours MA and Silver Medal for ‘Work of Special Distinction’.
• Exhibited: Young Contemporaries, London.
• Continuum, Axiom Gallery, London.
• 1969 1st Prize, Multiples Competition, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham.
• Published ‘Tumblediscs’ multiples.
• 1969-70 Exhibited: Mutation Phenomena II, Leicester.
• Contiuum, Arts Council touring exhibition with Robert Janz and Dante Leonelli, Sheffield, Hull, Manchester, Oxford.
• 1970 Exhibited: Continuum, Hayward Gallery, London.
• Continuum, Editions by London Arts Gallery, London.
• Kinetic Art, Hayward Gallery, London.
• Multiples, Whitechapel Gallery, London.
• John Player Biennale, Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham.
• 1971 Exhibited: Realities Gallery, Melbourne.
• 1972 Kinetic Art, Hamburg.
• Pyramid Gallery, Washington, D.C.
• Architecture Project, Philadelphia.
• Electric Gallery, Toronto.
• Marion Lock’s Gallery, Philadelphia.
• Produced ‘Waveline’, 16mm film.
• 1973 Exhibited: Kunstarkt, Basle.
• Artist’s Market, London.
• Visiting lecturer, Department of the Environment, North London Polytechnic and Winchester School of Art.
• 1974 Visiting artist, Ministry of Information, Kuwait.
• Exhibited: Recent Kinetics, Arts Council touring exhibition.
• Electric Art from Europe, Electric Gallery, Toronto.
• 1975 Exhibited: Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool.
• Compass Gallery, Glasgow.
• Visiting artist, Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education, Sydney.
• 1976 Exhibited: Editions Alecto Gallery.
• ‘Fibaonacci Portfolio’ of prints, etching, silkscreen and lithograph.
• 1976-77 Lorne Fellow, University College, London.
• 1977-79 Organised touring exhibition of ‘Fibonacci Portfolio’ and related sketches for Victoria and Albert Museum.
• Visiting Lecturer at Middlesex Polytechnic and the following North American Universities:
• Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C.
• York University, Toronto.
• Fanshaw College, London, Ontario.
• Studio School, New York.
• 1978 Exhibited: Jordan Gallery London.
• Profiled in ‘Arena’, a BBC2 film.

Bibliography

• Studio International, September 1970
• Richard Cork, Evening Standard, June 27 1970
• Paul Richard, Washington Post: ‘Moving and Beautiful’, 25 May 1972
• ‘Progress in Art’ by Suzi Gablick, Thames and Hudson 1977
• ‘Sculpture in Plastics’ by Nicholas Roukes, Watson-Guptill Publications
• Art International April 1979, Vol XXIII

Collections

• The Tate Gallery
• The Victoria and Albert Museum
• Arts Council of Great Britain
• Leicester Education Authority
• National Medical Library, Washington, D.C.
• Private and corporate collections

Publications

• ‘Art of the Seventies’ by Michael McKinnon
• Visual Publications. London 1976