The name Michael Craig-Martin is often first associated with painted everyday objects against pink, yellow or green backgrounds, monochrome and bold. In fact, the artist only turned to this form of painting in the early 1990s, when he was already over 50. He discovered that the public reacted emotionally to his paintings, which is why he stuck with it. Prior to this, his installation and conceptual art, such as his work An Oak Tree (1974), triggered mainly intellectual reactions. A major retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts in London is now presenting the entire oeuvre of this influential artist. It also includes the latest works that Craig-Martin created especially for the exhibition. The Michael Craig-Martin show runs from September 21 to December 10, 2024.
Craig-Martin was born in Dublin in 1941, grew up in the USA and has lived in London since 1966. Long before his now best-known paintings, he was known internationally as a conceptual artist and taught at the renowned Goldsmith's College School of Art. In this role, he exerted a strong influence on the Young British Artists, including Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Julian Opie and Fiona Rae. Craig-Martin, who sees himself artistically as an observer and recorder of everyday life rather than an artist with an agenda, has been a member of the Royal Academy since 2006.
