LONDON.-Nevill Keating McIlroy is delighted to present seminal works from the 1960s by John Hoyland. Often viewed as the European alternative to Mark Rothko, Sheffield-born Hoyland was at the forefront of international abstraction during the 1960s and his bold use of colour and the influence of his time in New York is evident in this absorbing selection of acrylics and works on paper, many of which have never been exhibited before now.

Hoyland’s abstract expressionist work is among the most ambitious, beautiful and compelling of his generation of European artists and, along with contemporaries including Patrick Caulfield, David Hockney and Bridget Riley, he was at the heart of the 1960s Situation scene of colourful abstract work, which highlighted London as one of the arts capitals of the world. In 1965, he was featured in Bryan Robertson's groundbreaking survey of contemporary British art scene, 'Private View'.

Hoyland has exhibited widely including the significant retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1967 and Serpentine Gallery, Royal Academy and Tate St Ives, also representing the UK at the 1969 São Paulo Biennale.

He attributes his highly distinguished vibrant style to the use of intuition and inspiration, finding his subjects without letting the painting lead entirely and with a spectacular European flair for colour.

In the same year as Rothko is presented by Tate Modern and prices of contemporaries including Alan Davie, Frank Auerbach, Lynn Chadwick, Anthony Caro and Patrick Heron are rocketing at auction, Hoyland is also exhibiting his recent work at both the Lemon Street Gallery in Cornwall and Beaux Arts, London. He has been a Royal Academician since 1991.