Jim Moir - VIC REEVES ART BOOK

VIC REEVES ART BOOK BY THE SAME AUTHOR Vic Reeves Big Night In Sun Boiled Onions Me: Moir Vic Reeves Vast Book of World Knowledge VIC REEVES ART BOOK JIM MOIR First published in 2020 Unbound TC Group, Level 1, Devonshire House, One Mayfair Place, London W1J 8AJ www.unbound.com All rights reserved Jim Moir, 2020 vicreeves.tv Foreword Grayson Perry, 2020 Photography by Jack Dent jackdentphotography.com The right of Jim Moir to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Text Design by Amazing15 A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-80018-002-4 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-80018-003-1 (ebook) Printed in Slovenia by DZS 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 For Nancy CONTENTS Foreword by Grayson Perry..........................................................................................................................ix Introduction......................................................................................................................................................xi 1 Self-portraits................................................................................................................................................13 2 Wildlife............................................................................................................................................................43 3 Birds.................................................................................................................................................................69 4 Romance.......................................................................................................................................................83 5 Celebrities...................................................................................................................................................109 6 Miscellaneous............................................................................................................................................209 7 Skulls.............................................................................................................................................................261 8 Wrestlers......................................................................................................................................................267 9 Landscapes.................................................................................................................................................277 Index.................................................................................................................................................................298 Supporters.....................................................................................................................................................301 FOREWORD I wrote quite a harsh review of one of Jims exhibitions for The Times in 2007 so I felt a little apprehensive as well as flattered when I was asked to write this foreword. I wondered why I was asked. Is this self-flagellation on his part? Is it a penance for me or is it just that his memory is going? The real reason is that since then I have become a much nicer person. The most difficult part for me about looking at Jims art is seeing it stand alone, as the work of a committed and constantly engaging artist.

As a lifelong fan I struggle to see it apart from his career as one of our most beloved comedians. Looking through the images in this book I imagined coming across these works in a gallery and knowing nothing of Vic Reeves. My first thought would be, Wow, this artist has a facility in so many different styles! Like all good artists he has a hunger to experiment. He seems to be constantly setting himself challenges as if his mind is never still. He is also seriously prolific. His art seems to hover around a sweet spot where humour meets vulnerability.

What are those disturbing self-portraits looking like mangled First-World-War survivors saying? I sense an air of disgust in many of the works, so much poo and saggy flesh. He also seems to have an ambivalent relationship with celebrity. Perhaps the clich of the tortured clown is true? Like dreams and sexual fantasies, humour can take us to some dark places and I like going there. I laughed out loud on seeing many of these works. Humour in art is a good thing, it is not the opposite of seriousness. Humour is often a more profound expression of humanity than many an earnest political or philosophical statement.

What perhaps stands out when I look at Jims art is that I feel he loves art, he loves looking at it and above all he loves making it. I hope you love it too. Grayson Perry

INTRODUCTION My days are spent making paintings, amongst other shenanigans like dancing and cooking. My eyes bulge at the sight of oil paint; my heart beats faster when a remark suggests an image. I often weep into my palette whilst composing a perception. My hand grips the rag and my foot stamps the hard earth at the sorrow of a blunder.

Whilst creating artwork, I often nibble peanuts and drink squash; occasionally I pause and see what the Loose Women are applauding (weight loss, mainly). My thoughts vary from the mundane to the banal on an infrequent basis, whipped into a frenzy of stale viewpoints to make strikingly dull presentations. My other thoughts range from the disturbingly rousing to the touchingly flushed, which are liable to concoct an eclectic blend of provocative portrayals. Within these pages you may discover subjects that will include SELF-PORTRAITS Here contained I present an assortment of artwork that is commonly known as a self-portrait. That is, a representation of the artist depicting themselves in their most adorable light. Their lips will be depicted at their most plump and rosy, their eyes bright and energetic, their hair glossy and heavily powdered.