An Australian Artist of Roman Style

Artist Kevin Murray has  lived, loved and painted  the Roman  scene  for many decades. Although  an Irish artist of Australian-British education   he is   fully  inserted into the solar culture of classical Rome, Byzantine Ravenna and the Tuscan Renaissance. 

 The  old Italian  stereotype  applied to  many  English of the Grand Tour “Inglese italianato, diavolo incarnato “ does not apply to him,  although  the years  in Rome  have given  him  a  love for the Mediterranean lifestyle including  good food, wine of the Castelli and  la dolce vita .

All of  these aspects are visible  in  the still live paintings  on view at  the artist’s annual  open house at  Studio Minerva on June 22^nd .

 Murray’s many friends and  followers  will be able to  find  evocations of   the glory days of the Roman  trattoria of the 1960s and  70s as well as  terrace views and  monuments of his beloved   Trastevere and the  Roman campagna. 

In the  1960s-80s Kevin Murray   divided his time  between teaching  and painting.  Inspiration for  many  of the still lifes  in the exhibit came from  weekend jaunts  to the Castelli Romani or the  villages  in Etruscan  Tuscia on  his trusty Vespa.

The rustic  white jugs  holding flowers   were purchased from rigattieri  in  Umbria and Tuscany  before these areas became fashionable.

Murray’s   paintings reflect the laid back   lifestyle  in central Italy during those years .  He shares  his  trattoria   lunches  with  us : the table set with a carafe of house wine,  a  steak  or fish and salad . 

Objects collected  during  the  artist’s   Roman years encapsulate  precious   memories : an antique wooden candlestick, a Deruta plate,  a  handwoven  arazzo tapestry.

exhibit  of  still life paintings by Kevin Murray

 June 22, 2018   

 Studio  Minerva, Via Pietro Micca , 6,  Rome

See also "The Roman Jewels of Kevin Murray"  on this blog 

The Jewels of Rome with Kevin Murray

 Born  in New South Wales, Australia, Kevin Murray has lived  in Rome  for  over  40 years and  considers  the Eternal City his home. 

with the artist in his studio

 Many decades ago  he earned a diploma at the Accademia delle  Belle Arti where he studied  painting (with Gentilini) and etching (with Maccari) as well as   mosaic technique in Ravenna’s Centro Internazionale del Mosaico.

Fountain of the Turtles 

Kevin and I were colleagues  in the 1970s-80s  when he taught  art and history to international students  and survival English to Russian émigrés in Rome. 

He  balanced  his teaching  with his art so well that  former students  often described him  as a Renaissance man for he is comfortable wearing many hats.

St, Peter's dome and the Tiber 

Besides directing excavations in Herculaneum, he held numerous one man shows in Sydney and Adelaide  (1971-1988)  as well as in  prestigious galleries of Rome and Florence like the Valle Giulia gallery, The Crypt  and Bottega di Cimabue.

still life 

a period palazzetto  with a Roman temple at the end of the street

Now comfortably settled in a period  palazzetto  between the temple of Minerva  and the multi cultural neighborhood of Pza. Vittorio, Kevin has carved out a  home and studio  that reflects  his eclectic lifestyle made up of  painting, music  and  cinema. 

Murray's  Roman terrace

You may have seen Kevin playing a cardinal in the recent  Nanni Moretti  film “Habemus Papem” .

What  are the jewels of Rome according to  Kevin Murray?

vicolo  Piazza Navona 

They include the  cupolas of many Roman churches and food enjoyed  during  visit to the  Roman campagna, just as  his predecessors of the Grand Tour .  

view of Roman countryside 

Benediction loggia, San Marco 

His latest  personal exhibit continues  until July  18  at  Studio Minera, Via Pietro Micca 6, Rome. 

An invitation to fellow expats and former students  to stop by and see  the Jewels of Rome.    RSVP to  dellascala4@gmail.com  

      Other paintings   www.artbreak.com/kevin2009