Ruth Rix (born 1942) is an artist based in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England, who works across the

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

, with a particular interest in

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. Her work is in private collections.

Early life

Born in

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

to parents who were Jewish refugees, Rix has lived, worked and trained in London,

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, and Vienna (she spent two years at the studio of

Fritz Wotruba Fritz Wotruba (23 April 1907, Vienna, Austria – 28 August 1975, Vienna) was an Austrian sculptor of Czecho- Hungarian descent. He was considered one of the most notable sculptors of the 20th century in Austria. In his work, he increasingly di ...

); she has studied at

Leeds College of Art Leeds Arts University is a specialist arts further and higher education institution, based in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a main campus opposite the University of Leeds. History It was founded in 1846 as the Leeds Sc ...

and

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 ...

. Her mother, , is a twin sister of the Austrian writer

Ilse Aichinger Ilse Aichinger (1 November 1921 – 11 November 2016) was an Austrians, Austrian writer known for her accounts of her persecution by the Nazis because of her Jewish ancestry.

,"World War II saga: Gail Wiltshire revisits Ilse Aichinger’s novel"
by Tess Livingstone, ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'', 8 August 2015 and Rix grew up in the company of artists and intellectuals such as

Anna Mahler Anna Justine Mahler (15 June 1904 – 3 June 1988) was an Austrian sculptor. Early life Born in Vienna, Anna Mahler was the second child of the composer Gustav Mahler and his wife Alma Schindler. They nicknamed her 'Gucki' on account of her b ...

and

Elias Canetti Elias Canetti (; 25 July 1905 – 14 August 1994; ; ) was a German-language writer, known as a Literary modernism, modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and nonfiction writer. Born in Ruse, Bulgaria, to a Sephardi Jews, Sephardic Jewish fam ...

Art work

Some of Rix's work is oil on canvas, others comprise mixed media on paper. Her influences include

Bill Viola William John Viola Jr. ( , ; January 25, 1951 – July 12, 2024) was an American video artist whose artistic expression depended upon electronic, sound, and image technology in new media. His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human ...

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

Antoni Tàpies Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tápies, Marquess of Tàpies (; 13 December 1923 – 6 February 2012) was a Catalans, Catalan painter, sculptor, and art theorist. Life The son of Josep Tàpies i Mestre and Maria Puig i Guerra, Antoni T ...

. Some of her themes have included

staircases Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

, landings, shifting rooms and spaces. Figures are sometimes present, although often absent, leaving only resonances.

Notices

In August 2006 Rix was featured in British art magazine ''Latest Art'' special issue on women's art worldwide and through the ages. Rix is profiled in the double page centre spread section "Phenomenal Women: 30 of the most exciting and groundbreaking female artists in the world". Featured artists include prominent names such as

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh), North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, whe ...

Tracey Emin Dame Tracey Karima Emin (; born 3 July 1963) is an English artist known for autobiographical and confessional artwork. She produces work in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, photography, Neon lighting, neon text ...

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

Diane Arbus Diane Arbus (; ; March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971
by

and

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadin ...

alongside comparatively unknown "art-breaker" Rix. ''Latest Art'' commented that Rix was not famous as she was "too busy exploring and painting to seek the limelight" and hence her work was not in major museums and art galleries such as Britain's

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 ...

gallery. She however has heavyweight and discerning patrons of long standing. On 6 August 2007 Rix was the feature of a live interview at the

Portobello Film Festival The Portobello Film Festival is an independent international film festival based in London, which annually premiers over 700 new films, including feature films, features, short films, shorts, documentaries, music films, and animation. Additionall ...

. She was in conversation with live artist Ernst Fischer in the "Magic Which Takes Time" section of a two-day series of events in the main festival called "The World's Greatest Magicians". The programme stated: "Cognoscenti's painter Ruth Rix ... makes a rare public appearance in introducing us to two of her works".Portobello Film Festival
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References

External links

Ruth Rix's official website

"Phenomenal Women"
''Latest Art'', August 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rix, Ruth 1942 births Living people English people of Jewish descent 20th-century English painters 21st-century English painters People from Leamington Spa Alumni of Leeds Arts University 20th-century English women painters 21st-century English women painters