- Richard Wentworth
Richard Wentworth (born
Samoa 1947 ) is an affluent British Artist, curator and teacher currently based atthe Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford.Wentworth studied at Hornsey College of Art in North London from 1965 and then at the
Royal College of Art where he was a contemporary ofBill Woodrow andTony Cragg . As a student Wentworth worked forHenry Moore and at the gallery owned byRobert Fraser and claims thatYoko Ono took his bicycle for a piece of work and has never reimbursed him.Wentworth became identified with the New British Sculpture movement of the late 1970s that moved away from heavy construction. Wentworth’s interest is the juxtaposition of materials and found elements that do not belong together. In the work Shower (pictured) Wentworth attached a small propeller to an ordinary table creating the impression that the furniture is about to take flight. Light Bulbs were a reoccurring element for their symbolism of the ‘
eureka moment’ of conceptual breakthrough. For an installation at theLisson Gallery he created a flock of books suspended by wire from the gallery’s ceiling. Wentworth is also interested in the bizarre coincidences of urban life that he documents in photographs.Between 1971 and 1987 Wentworth taught at
Goldsmiths College and his influence can be seen in the work of theYoung British Artists . He curated the exhibition "Thinking Aloud innit" atKettle's Yard that explored the creative process as well as the profligate nature of mass production and consumerism.In 1996 his "Marking the Parish Boundaries" along the
River Tees inCounty Durham was the firstpublic art project to be funded by theNational Lottery .Wentworth has lived for many years in the Kings Cross area of London and in 2002 he realised the project "An Area of Outstanding Unnatural Beauty" in which for three months he took over a plumbing supply shop in the area converting it into a base for visitors to explore and engage with the area.
External links
* [http://www.lissongallery.com/#/artists/richard-wentworth/ Lisson Gallery: Richard Wentworth]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2132&page=1&sole=y&collab=y&attr=y&sort=default&tabview=worklist Tate: Richard Wentworth]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/exhibitions/wentworth/ Tate Liverpool: Richard Wentworth]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/02/20/potteries_modern_art_richard_wentworth_int_feature.shtml BBC audio interview (02/2006)]
* [http://www.royaljellyfactory.com/davidbarrett/articles/artclub/ac-wentworth.htm Interview (Spring/1999)]
* [http://jamesputnam.org.uk/inv_interview_01.html Interview (04/1997)]
* [http://www.sculpture.org.uk/artists/RichardWentworth Richard Wentworth] at Sculpture.org.uk
** [http://www.sculpture.org.uk/portfolio/RichardWentworth Portfolio]
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