Robyn Denny British, 1930-2014

Robyn Denny was born in Surrey to a clergyman and, after serving in the Royal Navy, studied at the prestigious St. Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art. During his studies, Denny experimented with abstract expressionism, creating works featuring dribbled paint and collages. This practice aligned him with the broader rebellion in the art world against the pastoral landscapes that had dominated British art for a century.

Upon graduation, Denny became inspired by the American Abstract Expressionist movement and its bold use of singular color schemes. Consequently, his work evolved into a focus on intense experimentation with color in three-dimensional reliefs. These heavily pigmented reliefs challenged viewers' perceptions through fine, semi-transparent lines that depicted linear structures. The resulting compositions became his most renowned works and characterized Denny's signature style for the next two decades.

In 1966, Denny's work was part of a group exhibition that represented the UK at the Venice Biennale. In 1973, he became the youngest artist to have a retrospective at the Tate. In 1981, he relocated to Los Angeles, marking a significant change in his aesthetic. There, he experimented with acrylic surfaces and layered pigments, sometimes combining up to thirty colors at a time. Denny then returned to the UK, where he created a collection of public artworks, many of which still exist throughout the UK.

Today, Denny's works are part of permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Australia in Sydney, the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, the Tate in London, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran.