Richard Malone is an Irish artist and designer from Wexford, Ireland.

Early life and background

Richard Malone was born in 1990 and grew up in Wexford, Ireland. He often references his working class upbringing and Irish identity as significant influences in his work. Before his formal education in art, Malone worked with his father on building sites and began his initial studies in art at Waterford College of Further Education.

Artistic career

Malone graduated from

Central Saint Martins Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short ...

in 2014. Following his graduation, his collection was purchased by

Brown Thomas Brown Thomas & Company Limited is a chain of five upmarket department stores in Ireland, with two located in Dublin, and one each in Cork, Galway, and Limerick. Together with Dublin's Arnotts department store, it is owned by the Selfridges G ...

in Dublin. In 2017, his work was featured in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

's "Is Fashion Modern?" exhibition. In 2019, Malone was a finalist for the

LVMH Prize The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, commonly known as the LVMH Prize, is an award for fashion designers administered yearly by fashion conglomerate LVMH. Founded by Delphine Arnault in 2014, the prize celebrates designers between the ages o ...

. and, in 2020, won the Woolmark Prize. In February 2021, Malone was shortlisted as a finalist for the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. Malone's creative practice spans across various mediums such as sculpture, installation, performance, drawing, costume, and garment making. His work often delves into gendered labor practices to explore themes of queerness, class, place, and otherness. In 2023, Malone received the

Golden Fleece Award The Golden Fleece Award (1975–1988) was a tongue-in-cheek award given to public officials in the United States for squandering public money. Its name is sardonically taken from the actual Order of the Golden Fleece, a prestigious chivalric aw ...

. His essays and letters have been featured in

British Vogue ''British Vogue'' (stylised in all caps) is the British edition of the American Fashion journalism, fashion magazine Vogue (magazine), Vogue. The magazine was launched in 1916 by Condé Nast, linking together fashion and high society.König A ...

and

Luncheon Lunch is a meal typically consumed around the middle of the day, following breakfast and preceding dinner. It varies in form, size, and significance across cultures and historical periods. In some societies, lunch constitutes the main mea ...

magazine. In 2022, an exhibit showcasing Malone's poems and self-portraits titled "Out in the World: Ireland’s LGBTQ+ Diaspora" was held at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. Recent solo exhibitions include those at the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland () houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street, Dublin, Clare Street. It ...

in Dublin, Ormston House in Limerick, and in 2023, his most extensive sculptural mobile was displayed at the

Royal Academy 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 London. Malone often emphasizes the importance of his identity as a "queer, working class immigrant from rural Ireland." He acknowledges the value of the skills he learned in rural Ireland – including stitching, curtain making, welding, and metal bending. In 2022, he was the artist in residence at the

in Dublin, responding to the gallery's premiere exhibition of

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, Drafter, draftsman and Printmaking, printmaker, who was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced ...

in Ireland. Various institutions, including the

"Is Fashion Modern?"
/ref> in New York, the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in London, and the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

in Melbourne, hold Malone's work. A portrait of Malone by Howard Tangye is part of the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

. From 2020 to 2022, Malone curated the touring exhibition "Making and Momentum: In Conversation with Eileen Gray". This exhibition celebrated modernism in Ireland and the influence of Irish craftsmanship globally. The show concluded in Wexford, where select works were auctioned, raising funds for the restoration of

Eileen Gray Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish interior designer, furniture designer and architect who became a pioneer of the Modern architecture, Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, s ...

's work and the establishment of an artist's prize.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Richard Irish artists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)