A truly independent artist, both serious and good-humoured, John McLean’s works are simultaneously considered and spontaneous. Light, space and movement are the core elements of John's abstract, often large-scale work. These focuses remain constant throughout his career, from the formal precision of his early work to the free-flowing and painterly expression he developed.

He moved across media, incorporating elements of collage and sculpture into his paintings and drawings. John's ability to translate the luminosity and rhythm of his painting in this form highlights the intentionality of his compositions. 

McLean’s work is represented in many public collections including Tate Gallery, London; the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; Glasgow Museums and Galleries; The Hunterian Collection; and the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida.

Born in Liverpool and raised in Arbroath, John's outlook and reach were international. He moved to London to study at the Courtauld and spent the 1960s and 1970s at the Stockwell Depot of artists. McLean taught at various art schools in London, including the Chelsea School of Art. His first solo exhibition was in 1975 at Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, and he has since had over forty solo exhibitions worldwide. Exhibitions in London, New York and across America were capped by his 2017 exhibition Like Singing and Dancing: John McLean’s Abstract Paintings at the Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou. In 1981 he was invited as a guest artist to the Emma Lake workshop in Saskatchewan in Canada which marked a shift in his career. Critics and artists there included Clement Greenberg and Bill Perehudoff – both of whom had an impact on John’s work, as did Saskatchewan’s bright light and open spaces.

Later in John's career his practice was affected by his Parkinson's disease, and he moved to new means of production assisted by fellow artist and friend Shiba Hideatsu. He described his illness as 'a kind of a gift' in that it changed his approach to painting and markmaking. There is a calmness and precision to these later works; each brushstroke emphasised and placed with intention.

The estate of John McLean is managed by The Fine Art Society. Please contact us with any enquiries relating to the sale, exhibition or reproduction of John’s work.

Solo Exhibitions

1975
Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh

1980
Nicola Jacobs Gallery, London

1981
Art Placement, Saskatoon, Canada
Artspace Galleries, Aberdeen, touring to Dundee, St Andrews, Edinburgh

1983
Nicola Jacobs Gallery, London
Kapil Jariwala, New York, USA
Francis Graham-Dixon Gallery, London

1984
Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh
Mark Gerrard, Edmonton, Canada
Francis Graham-Dixon Gallery, London

1985
Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh

1986
Department of Architecture, University of Edinburgh

1987
Kapil Jariwala, London

1991
Francis Graham-Dixon Gallery, London

1994
Francis Graham-Dixon Gallery, London
Talbot Rice Galery, University of Edinburgh

1997
Francis Graham-Dixon Gallery, London

1998
Francis Graham-Dixon Gallery, London
Bourne Fine Art, Edinburgh

1999
Flowers East, London
Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh

2000
Flowers East, London
Flowers Graphics, London
Bourne Fine Art, Edinburgh
Art Placement, Saskatoon, Canada

2003
Flowers Central, London
Bourne Fine Art, Edinburgh
Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh

2005
Flowers, New York

2006
Flowers East, London
Cross Street Gallery, London

2007
Broadbent, London
Poussin Gallery, London
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London

2008
Cross Street Gallery, London 

2009
Poussin Gallery, London
Broadbent, London

2010
Sculpture from Painting, Bourne Fine Art, Edinburgh 

2013
John McLean – Another Light: Prairie Journey, The Fine Art Society, London

2016
Like Singing and Dancing: John McLean’s Abstract Paintings, Maddox Arts, London
Like Singing and Dancing: John McLean’s Abstract Paintings, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing
The Cut, Halesworth, Sussex

2017
Like Singing and Dancing: John McLean’s Abstract Paintings, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou

2018
John McLean: The Boston Pictures 1982, The Fine Art Society, Edinburgh
Resonance: John McLean and Tan Ping, DE Gallery, Xiamen
Encounters: John McLean, Wang Jian, PIFO Gallery, Beijing

2019
Being John McLean, Art Space Gallery, London
John McLean: Behind the Mirror, The Fine Art Society, Edinburgh