David Shrigley has taught us it is not true that “Art Must Be Beautiful“, and that if you’re funny and you have something to say you can build a career as artist who draws badly. Ian Stevenson shows us that there is space for the bad drawings also in publishing and advertising. Lightweight, fun, strong visual idea and research characterize the style of the author in London, who survived the implosion of the new Franco-Belgian art-brut. Graduated from Camberwell College of Arts and trained in an advertising agency, Stevenson has shaped its own style making it distinctive and so versatile, to fit perfectly into any type of project, including print campaigns for Perrier or Microsoft.
His latest book is called “Now that’s what I call art” and includes illustrations created for Art Review last year (2010). It is a small object of drawings so dumb, ugly and vulgar that it is impossible not to love him instinctively. Among the many projects in his portfolio it is worth looking at the above-mentioned campaign for Perrier, the bizarre art academy for Nintendo, and customization of the bathrooms (yes, the bathroom ) of the agency Mother in London.