Love is a Virus from Outer Space Michael Kidner

This catalogue was published to coincide with the artist's solo exhibition Love is a Virus from Outer Space, 17 January - 7 February 2003 and features essays by Stephen Bann and Irving Sandler alongside reproductions of key paintings produced 1995 - 2002.

Born in Northamptonshire, 1917, Michael Kidner studied History at Cambridge University. His distinguished career has included many honours, influential teaching posts, international group shows and solo exhibitions in Britain, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Austria and Scandinavia. 

Kidner was described by American art historian and critic Irving Sandler as, “arguably the first Op Artist in Britain”, following his investigations of the optical effects of light, colour and systemic structure during the 1960s. Optics presented Kidner with a challenge in his pursuit of a pure form of imagery, seeking a phenomenological approach to the fluctuating effects of light and colour within the space set by the canvas.