As a consequence, perhaps, James’ paintings are not conventionally beautiful; they are unapologetically individualistic and, in many respects, difficult. The nonconformist quality of his work (which should not be confused with occasional elements of an ‘outsider’ sensibility) is reflected by his enthusiasm, as a writer and sometimes curator, for painters such as Jean Helion, William Nicholson, Giorgio Morandi and Serge Charchoune – artists often overshadowed by the reputations of better-known peers.

Merlin James is sometimes regarded as a formalist, but this epithet is in many ways misleading. He is undoubtedly and unusually concerned with the process of painting and the ‘objecthood’ of pictures, but his images are too odd to be considered simply as visual or intellectual exercises in picture-making. There is awkwardness in them, as well as something gloomy that makes the viewer feel a little ill-at-ease.

These qualities, in conjunction with James’s studied ambivalence and sense of humour, bring to mind the tone and melancholia of the Dada artist and painter Francis Picabia, who once said ‘Good taste is as tiring as good company’.

The works in this exhibition, which span his career, were selected by Merlin James. A new catalogue, with notes on the paintings by the artist and a poem by Dannie Abse, will be published to accompany the show.

Click here to view the exhibition catalogue.

The Douglas Hyde Gallery gratefully acknowledges the commitment and enthusiasm of the artist, and the generous support of the catalogue by Kerlin Gallery, Dublin, and Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York.

Images: (left) Merlin James, Garden, 1981. Oil and acrylic on board, 74 x 92 x 2.5 cm. Courtesy of the artist (right) Merlin James, In the Gallery, 2012, installation view. Courtesy of the artist and The Douglas Hyde.