ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Alan Charlton's 50-Year Grey Monochrome Practice at Annely Juda Fine Art

exhibition · 2026-04-30

Alan Charlton presents his modular monochrome works at Annely Juda Fine Art, London. Since 1969, Charlton has adhered to a strict system: all paintings are grey, with height, width, and depth set as multiples of 4.5 cm. He sources materials from hardware stores, using standard timber and household paint to avoid art-world conventions. The exhibition traces his five-decade exploration of this single module and color, emphasizing materiality and urban aesthetics. Charlton's approach rejects illusionism, aiming for straightforward, urban-feeling works. The show includes early experiments with other colors before settling on grey.

Key facts

  • Alan Charlton began his grey monochrome practice in 1969.
  • All works use a 4.5 cm module for height, width, and depth.
  • Materials are sourced from hardware stores, not art shops.
  • The exhibition is at Annely Juda Fine Art, London.
  • Charlton's paintings are always grey since 1969.
  • He initially used colors like red oxide, brown, green creosote, black, white, and grey.
  • The depth of each painting is 4.5 cm.
  • Charlton's work aims for no illusions, straightforward and urban in feel.

Entities

Artists

  • Alan Charlton

Institutions

  • Annely Juda Fine Art

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom

Sources