Richard Cook

Richard is a British painter who lives and works in Newlyn, Cornwall. He was born in Cheltenham in 1947 and spent his early childhood in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. He trained at St Martin's School of Art from 1966 to 1970 and at the Royal College of Art until 1973. In the early 1970s he shared a studio with his teacher and mentor Leon Kossoff for three years, before developing a voice of his own, shaped by the land and seascapes of Cornwall.

He has exhibited since 1976, when R.B. Kitaj selected his work for The Human Clay at the Hayward Gallery. In 2001 he was given a solo exhibition at Tate St Ives, and a major painting entered the Tate collection in 2006. His work is also held by the British Museum and the Arts Council Collection, and he has received awards from both the British Council and the Arts Council.

Richard paints at speed, after long periods of contemplation, often working with his fingers rather than a brush. The surfaces are dense and physical, landscapes that hold both observation and memory.

"The images I paint seem to be something that lies already formed deep in the unconscious memory, hidden but with shape and form, out of reach." — Richard Cook

Selected works are now showing in the gallery and online. We look forward to presenting Richard's work at London Art Fair in 2027.

STUDIO: NEWLYN, CORNWALL