Richard Deacon (born 15 August 1949) is a British abstract

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, and a winner of the

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award). ...

. "Turner Prize History: Richard Deacon"

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

. Retrieved 20 February 2008.

Early life and education

Deacon was born in

Bangor, Wales Bangor (; ) is a cathedral city and community in Gwynedd, north Wales. It is the oldest city in Wales. Historically part of Caernarfonshire, the community had a population of 15,060 at the 2021 census, and the built up area had a population ...

and educated at

Plymouth College Plymouth College is a co-educational private school in Plymouth, Devon. History The school was established in 1877. In 1896 Plymouth College bought Mannamead School (founded in 1854), and was temporarily known as Plymouth and Mannamead Colleg ...

. He then studied at the Somerset College of Art,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

, at

Saint Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...

, London, and at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, also in London. He left the Royal College in 1977, and went on to study part-time at the

Chelsea School of Art Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art and design university in London, England. It offers further and higher education courses in fine art, graphic design, interior design, produ ...

. Deacon's first one-person show came in 1978 in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

Work

Deacon's work is abstract, but often alludes to anatomical functions. His works are often constructed from everyday materials such as laminated

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

, 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 garden A sculpture garden or sculpture park is an outdoor garden or park which includes the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings. A sculpture garden may be private, owned by ...

s and objects made for specific events, such as dance performances. Deacon was part of the jury that awarded the

Käthe Kollwitz Prize The Käthe Kollwitz Prize () is a German art award named after artist Käthe Kollwitz. Established in 1960 by the then-Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic (nowadays the Academy of Arts, Berlin), the prize is awarded annually by a j ...

of the

Berlin Academy of Arts The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

to Maria Eichhorn in 2021.

Recognition

Deacon won the

in 1987 (nominated for his touring show ''For Those Who Have Eyes'') having previously been nominated in 1984. He was elected to the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in 1998. Deacon was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours List. In 2007, he represented Wales at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. He was one of the five artists shortlisted for the Angel of the South project in January 2008. File:Once Upon A Time-1.jpg, ''Once Upon a Time'' on the Redheugh Bridge,

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

File:Lets Not Be Stupid 2.jpg, ''Lets Not Be Stupid'' at the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

File:Bottle Green Republic by Richard Deacon 02.jpg, ''Bottle Green Republic'', Victoria and Albert Museum In 2017, Deacon won the "Ernst Franz Vogelmann-Preis für Skulptur",

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...

."Richard Deacon: Ernst Franz Vogelmann-Preis für Skulptur 2017"
Retrieved 10 October 2017 (de). Also in 2017, he was made an Honorary Fellow of th
Arts University Plymouth (formerly Plymouth College of Art)

Notes and references

External links

*
richarddeacon.netRichard Deacon, fabricator and Turner prize winner, gets Tate retrospectiveBiography and images at LA Louver galleryActual exhibitions, works in museums and galleries''Between the Eyes''

Queens Quay Queens Quay or Queen's Quay may refer to: *Queen's Quay, Belfast, a district in Belfast *Queens Quay (Toronto) Queens Quay is a prominent street in the Harbourfront neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street was originally commercial ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario {{DEFAULTSORT:Deacon, Richard 1949 births Living people 20th-century Welsh sculptors 21st-century Welsh sculptors 20th-century Welsh male artists 21st-century Welsh male artists Alumni of Chelsea College of Arts Alumni of the Royal College of Art Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Academic staff of the École des Beaux-Arts Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin People educated at Plymouth College People from Bangor, Gwynedd Royal Academicians Turner Prize winners Welsh contemporary artists Welsh male sculptors

Early life and education

Work

Recognition

See also

Notes and references

External links