Pete and Elton, 2005. Courtesy Modern Art Oxford
A series of paintings of Princess Diana, portraits of celebrities of the moment and the artist’s family members all feature in the Stella Vine exhibition at Modern Art Oxford, running until September 23 2007.
Stella rose to fame when Charles Saatchi bought two of her paintings in 2004. One was of Princess Diana, entitled ‘Hi Paul, can you come over…’, and the other depicted heroin addict Rachel Whitear, whose death hit the news in 2000.
Both were controversial images, with the parents of Whitear imploring for the image of their daughter not to be displayed in the 2004 exhibition New Blood.
Stella’s loose, naive style and palette of sweet shop colours indeed subverts faces, giving them a less than flattering interpretation that is part caricature, part cute and ingenuous like a child’s painting.
Holy Water Cannot Help You Now, 2005. Courtesy Modern Art Oxford
Recent paintings on show in the exhibition include portraits of Kate Moss, cigarette in hand, with the inscription ‘Holy water cannot help you now’, and her on-off boyfriend Pete Doherty (also both known for their drug addictions, incidentally). Stella has also depicted Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and member of the Manic Street Preachers Richey James, who disappeared in 1995.
Tragedy and glamour are two of the key things that draw Stella to a subject. Other new paintings in the exhibition follow Princess Diana through different stages of her life, from early childhood to the fatal car crash in Paris. One new painting shows her with Charles, William and Harry during a family picnic.
"I have always been drawn to the beauty and the tragedy of Diana's life which I hope I've captured in this new series of paintings,” says Stella. “I wanted to show her vulnerability as well as her strength, and the close relationship she had with her sons."
Dorian Gray, 2005. Courtesy Modern Art Oxford
Stella’s family is a fertile ground of inspiration for her, with her mother Ellenor frequently appearing in paintings as well as Stella’s own son. Stella gave birth to him at the age of 16, after a troubled childhood.
The exhibition includes 75 paintings, which span Stella’s career and demonstrate that she is also capable of producing interesting works that don’t rely on sensationalism.
"Stella's work is fresh, bold and original and deserves to reach a wider audience,” commented Andrew Nairne, Director of the gallery. “Modern Art Oxford has a long tradition of recognising and supporting new talent. We are delighted to be working with Stella on her first major exhibition."
