22/05/2026
Tam Joseph
'Miles Is on the Level'
until 7 June 2026
Felix & Spear, London
To mark the centenary of Miles Davis, born on 26 May 1926, we are honoured to present a special one work exhibition: Tam Joseph’s 'Miles Is on the Level', a remarkable portrait of one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.
Painted in 2017-18, this acrylic on linen is a work of striking atmosphere and intensity. From an almost complete field of darkness, the face emerges in deep blue light: watchful, composed, inward, and unmistakably present. Joseph does not offer a conventional likeness so much as a charged encounter. The painting holds the viewer in a moment of stillness, suggesting not only the image of a man, but the mood, silence and concentration from which music might begin.
Miles Davis transformed the language of jazz across five decades. Restless, exacting and visionary, he moved through bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz and electric fusion, repeatedly changing the direction of modern music. His sound was instantly recognisable: spare, lyrical, searching, and capable of immense emotional force. Albums such as 'Birth of the Cool', 'Kind of Blue', 'Sketches of Spain' and 'Bi***es Brew' remain landmarks not only in jazz, but in the wider history of twentieth-century culture.
In 'Miles Is on the Level', Tam Joseph creates a portrait that feels both intimate and monumental. The blue tonal range, the darkness surrounding the face, and the directness of the gaze give the work a nocturnal, almost musical quality. It is a painting about presence, about listening, and about the enduring power of an artist whose influence continues to resonate.
We warmly invite visitors to come and view this exceptional painting in the gallery. Presented in the year of Davis’s 100th birthday, 'Miles Is on the Level' offers a rare opportunity to spend time with one artist’s powerful tribute to another.
Tam Joseph (b. 1947)
'Miles Is on the Level'
2017-18
acrylic paint on linen
87 × 69 cm
Enquiries about the work can be sent to Felix & Spear.
