William Tillyer's work has been shown frequently in London and New York since 1970. Admired by fellow artists and collectors, it has mystified critics, even those eager to praise him. Why does his work keep changing? Why does each new phase seem to contradict and undermine the last? Why doesn't he establish a brand image and stick by it?
Much of his art and its motivation is stimulated by a dialogue about the nature of painting, what it was, is and could be. He sees this dialogue as a continuum a conflict of 'The Real' and it's opposition, 'Artifice' so in articulating such a dialogue he puts it to the service of an all embracing 'Universal' view; where each and every element is equal and reductive.
Tillyer was born in Middlesbrough northern England, studying painting at The Slade. Tillyer has evolved into an astonishingly diverse and talented artist, and today he is one of Britain's most respected artists, with a still growing reputation. In an age where personality has become a cult, Tillyer is concerned to let the painting speak for itself and to withdraw his own personality as much as possible.