Dane Lovett’s paintings are precisely crafted observations of familiar subject matter – from domestic plants and flowers to music and popular culture ­– echoing art historic traditions of still-life painting, yet taking on new meaning through the act of repetition. Lovett merges a hazy, photorealistic formal technique with an experimental approach to surface matter, often applying his paint to aluminium or wooden board. A restrictive palette and play with positive and negative space enhance his distinct approach to mark making. The conflation of these processes emphasises a larger enquiry into how design, tension and balance shape our approach to relatively modest subject matter. Elegant vistas of still life, Lovett’s paintings are simultaneously nostalgic and entirely contemporary.

Lovett gained early recognition for his photorealist paintings, winning the esteemed Qantas Spirit of Youth Award (SOYA) Art Prize (2005), and the RBS Emerging Artist Award (2010). Since then, he has been a finalist in many prizes, including the Sir John Sulman Prize (2012), National Works on Paper Prize (2021), Geelong Contemporary Art Prize (2022) and Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize (2017). In 2019, Lovett was awarded the Victoria-Jiangsu Sister Province Arts Exchange, undertaking a residency at Points Centre for Contemporary Art (PCCA) in Jiangsu, China, which was the inspiration for his ongoing series of waterlily paintings.

Dane Lovett

Flowers