Michael Craig-Martin at Roche Court

Michael Craig-Martin Fountain Pen (turquoise), 2019 and Umbrella (purple), 2013

Following Michael Craig-Martin's successful exhibition at the Royal Academy last autumn, we are delighted to have two of his notable sculptures sited prominently at the entrance to the sculpture park, welcoming all visitors and serving as a reminder as to the significance of everyday objects in our lives.

Michael Craig-Martin
Umbrella (purple), 2013
Powder-coated steel
327 x 310 x 2.1 cm
128 ¾ x 122 ¹⁄₁₆ x ¹³⁄₁₆ in.
Edition 3 of 3 + 1 AP

From the beginning, Craig-Martin’s practice has been concerned with the nature of representation within art, exploring this through the rendering of everyday objects. In recent works, they become oversized and surreal, coated in synthetic colour and demarcated with bold linework. These vibrant powder-coated steel sculptures, shown here at Roche Court Sculpture Park, are a form of making that he has been exploring since 2011. An edition of the purple umbrella continues to be permanently sited outdoors at Chatsworth House, following the first exhibition of these works there in 2014.

Michael Craig-Martin
Fountain Pen (turquoise), 2019
Powder-coated steel
400 x 42 x 2 cm
157 ½ x 16 ½ x ¾ in.
Edition 1 of 3 plus 1 AP

Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA (b. 1941 in Dublin, Ireland) attended Fordham University, New York, from 1959 to 1961, then Yale University. He taught at Goldsmiths College School of Art, London, from 1974 to 1988 and from 1994 to 2000, inspiring generations of artists, including the YBAs. Craig-Martin has shown at distinguished institutions worldwide, including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; the Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas; Chatsworth House, England and the Shanghai Himalayas Museum in China. His work is included in numerous public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. He lives and works in London.