The Missing Act is an exhibition of new paintings by artist Max Gimson, winner of the ninth Jonathan Vickers Fine Art Award, one of the largest art prizes for emerging artists in the UK. The exhibition opens to the public on Friday 13 December at Derby Museum and Art Gallery and runs until 23 February 2025.

Established by Foundation Derbyshire in 1998, with the help of a legacy from the late Jonathan Vickers, the biennial award brings a rising artist to Derbyshire every two years to produce and exhibit a body of work on the continuing theme ‘A Sense of Place’, encouraging artist’s to be inspired by the county’s landscape, heritage and people.

Based at Derby’s Banks Mill Studios for a nine-month residency, Max has produced a body of new work for solo exhibitions at both Derby Museum and Art Gallery and the Mall Galleries in London. Max’s new work has been inspired by the discovery of the derelict Derby Hippodrome, where variety acts and big names played in the early twentieth century. Imagined scenes unfold on Max’s canvases – from Dracula actor Bela Lugosi sitting backstage, to the panic of a performer who had misplaced a wig.

Will Eaves, writer, said:

“Max Gimson’s figures are made to shed their fame and context … [a]nd yet Gimson remains sensuously aware of their identity in paint – their gaudiness, their hair, their gestures, their smell – even as the world that made them famous goes up in flames, even as the bills of performance disintegrate and the roof of the Hippodrome falls in. It is as if he were slowly deleting the captions of history, removing the dramatis personae from the title page, anonymising the archive in order to release a more fundamental awareness of creaturely variety.”

About the award, Max Gimson said:

“Moving to Derby and having access to the studio at Banks Mill for the nine months of the residency gave me the time, space, and financial support to really focus on my practice, and it gave me the freedom to try out new ideas that I definitely wouldn’t have landed on otherwise.

Aside from making work about a derelict theatre I’ve also had the chance to experiment with new materials like jute and concrete, as well as developing a vibrant and garish colour palette to suit the subject matter.

I’m excited to present the paintings at Derby Museum and Art Gallery; I tried to curate the work in a lively and busy manner to reflect the atmosphere of a bustling theatre.”

Of the inspiration for his work, Max said:

“The Missing Act, is in reference to passages being omitted from a story or a play but it’s also that moment during the painting process when thought and intention go out the window; steps taken that I can’t retrace. The paintings in the exhibition aren’t necessarily about accuracy, they’re intended to evoke the atmosphere of a location.”

Tony Butler, Executive Director of Derby Museums says:

“We are delighted to once again be hosting the results of the prestigious Jonathan Vickers award. Max’s work takes a fresh look at our city and county through the use of bold colours and abstract imagery. I look forward to seeing how our visitors respond to the show.”

Rachael Grime, Chief Executive of Foundation Derbyshire says:

“Max has created a collection that, like the theatrical world it reflects, is a spectacle; a riot of colour that entertains, intrigues and, at times, unsettles and helps us to see our fabulous city as others see it.”

The Missing Act: An Exhibition by Max Gimson is now open to the public at Derby Museum and Art Gallery and entry is free to all, with a request for visitors to Give What You Think.