Matt Rugg

Matt Rugg, born in Somerset, was taught by Victor Pasmore and Richard Hamilton at King’s College, Newcastle (from 1956), subsequently working alongside them as tutor, before moving on to Chelsea in 1965, and establishing a studio in South London. As a teacher at Chelsea School of Art, he influenced painters and sculptors, going beyond Pasmore’s Basic Form syllabus, and encouraging students to discover their own materials and ways of making.

Rugg’s first solo shows, featuring constructions in wood, and later in metal, at the New Art Centre in London in 1963, 1966 and 1970, won critical acclaim, leading to further international solo exhibitions, and his work being acquired for public collections including the Tate Gallery, the British Council, the Arts Council, the Contemporary Arts Society, and regional collections. In 1979 Rugg’s prize in the 2nd National Exhibition hosted by Tolly Cobbold/Eastern Arts, signalled a change of direction in his work, constructing in galvanised wire and sheet metal in linear form.

Rugg’s training as a painter, influenced his approach to drawing and sculpture, building up layers of translucency and depth from the ground upwards, and often working back into his drawings over a period of time. There is also a symbiotic relationship between Rugg’s drawings and sculpture, as forms were sometimes sprayed through and drawn around, working in conversation with each other as the working process took shape.

Works are viewable by appointment, please contact us to arrange a viewing.

Exhibitions at Gallagher & Turner: Matt Rugg: Organic Form, 13th October - 18th November, 2023

Works for Sale

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