Richard Deacon (sculptor)

Richard Deacon
CBE RA
Richard Deacon (2017)
Born (1949-08-15) 15 August 1949 (age 75)
Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom
Education
Known forSculpture
MovementNew British Sculpture
Awards
Elected
Websitewww.richarddeacon.net

Richard Deacon CBE RA (born 15 August 1949) is a British abstract sculptor, and a winner of the Turner Prize.[1]

Early life and education

Deacon was born in Bangor, Wales and educated at Plymouth College.[citation needed] He then studied at the Somerset College of Art, Taunton, at Saint Martin's School of Art, London, and at the Royal College of Art, also in London. He left the Royal College in 1977, and went on to study part-time at the Chelsea School of Art. Deacon's first one-person show came in 1978 in Brixton.

Work

Deacon's work is abstract, but often alludes to anatomical functions. His works are often constructed from everyday materials such as laminated plywood, and he calls himself a "fabricator" rather than a "sculptor". His early pieces are typically made up of sleek curved forms, with later works sometimes more bulky. Deacon's body of work includes small-scale works suitable for showing in art galleries, as well as much larger pieces shown in sculpture gardens and objects made for specific events, such as dance performances. Deacon was part of the jury that awarded the Käthe Kollwitz Prize of the Berlin Academy of Arts to Maria Eichhorn in 2021.[2]

Recognition

Deacon won the Turner Prize in 1987 (nominated for his touring show For Those Who Have Eyes) having previously been nominated in 1984.[1] He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1998.[3]

Deacon was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours List. In 2007, he represented Wales at the Venice Biennale. He was one of the five artists shortlisted for the Angel of the South project in January 2008.

In 2017, Deacon won the "Ernst Franz Vogelmann-Preis für Skulptur", Heilbronn.[4] Also in 2017, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Arts University Plymouth (formerly Plymouth College of Art).[5][6]

See also

  • List of Turner Prize winners and nominators

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b "Turner Prize History: Richard Deacon", Tate. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
  2. ^ Käthe Kollwitz Prize 2021 of the Akademie der Künste goes to Maria Eichhorn Academy of Arts, press release of 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Richard Deacon | Artist | Royal Academy of Arts". Royal Academy of Arts. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Richard Deacon: Ernst Franz Vogelmann-Preis für Skulptur 2017". Retrieved 10 October 2017 (de).
  5. ^ "Plymouth College of Art achieves university status, becoming Arts…".
  6. ^ "Plymouth College of Art awards Honorary Fellowships to Sir Nicholas Serota and Richard Deacon". newsandmediarepublic.org. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
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