Richard Deacon

Richard Deacon (b. 1949, Bangor, United Kingdom, based in London, United Kingdom) has been at the forefront of British sculpture since the 1980s, creating abstract, biomorphic forms that explore the interplay between interior and exterior, mass and lightness, movement and stillness. Emerging from constant experimentation with industrial and domestic materials such as plywood, stainless steel, polycarbonate, leather and clay, his organic sculptures evoke a sense of the body and interact dynamically with the audience and surrounding architecture.

Describing himself as a ‘fabricator’, Deacon often leaves traces of his construction visible, such as glue residue between layers of wood, and the surface details of screws and rivets. This highlights the tactile exchange between the artist and his material, a process of giving shape to the world that Deacon—who has a strong interest in reading and writing—likens to speech and language. In his Art for Other People (1982–ongoing) series, he fashions small sculptural assemblages that suggest the possibility of an intimate and portable possession of art objects. At the other end of the scale, After (1998) is a monumental wooden form that loops and snakes across the exhibition floor. Its open latticework creates multiple viewpoints and a delicate play between light and shadow.

Deacon obtained his BA from St Martin’s School of Art, London in 1972 and his MA in Environmental Media from the Royal College of Art, London in 1977. His work is held in prominent collections including the Tate Collection, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Museum Cardiff; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen; Museu d´Art Contemporani de Barcelona; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. Deacon received the prestigious Turner Prize in 1987.

Notable solo exhibitions include Like You Know – Ceramic Works (2020), New Art Centre, Salisbury; Weather (2017), Museum of Modern Art Machynlleth, Powys; Richard Deacon (2017), Städtische Museen Heilbronn; Some Time (2017), Middelheimmuseum, Antwerp; What You See Is What You Get (2017), San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego; Out of Line (2016), Museum Folkwang, Essen; On The Other Side (2015), Kunstmuseum Winterthur; and Richard Deacon (2014), Tate Britain, London. The artist has also participated in major international festivals including Common Ground (2012), 13th Venice Architecture Biennale; Think with the Senses - Feel with the Mind (2007), 52nd Venice Biennale; 2nd Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (2006); and Documenta IX (1992), 9th Documenta, Kassel.

Deacon had his residency at the STPI Workshop in 2011, resulting in the exhibition Beware of the Dog (2012). He was also part of the group exhibition New Releases, Old Friends: Angela Bulloch, Richard Deacon, Janice Kerbel, Tobias Rehberger and Pae White (2025).