About
Born in 1958, Porthcawl, South Wales, Robin Mason is a Welsh contemporary artist who references the tradition of painting and narrative imagery, Mason’s paintings, prints and digital drawings draw on the aesthetic characteristics of Northern European art and popular culture. Blurring the lines between high and low art and autobiographic in nature, recurring archetypes in the form of flowers, trees, eyes, books, palettes and clothing punctuate the work.
Between 1977 and 1984 Mason studied painting at Cardiff College of Art, Wolverhampton Polytechnic (BA Hons) and the Royal College of Art (MA RCA), after which he established a studio in London. He has continued to exhibit nationally and internationally, and his work can be found in public and significant private and corporate collections including the Royal College of Art Collection, Simmons & Simmons, Government Art Collection, London Transport Collection. Cleveland County Council, Leicestershire Education Authority, London Underground, Rosehaugh Stanhope Plc. Unilever & TI Group (Collections sold at Sotheby’s)
Solo Shows
2019 ‘Itch!” Unit 1 Gallery, London
2018 Constellation : Konstellation, Gig Munich, Munich, Germany
2014 Why are the Roses so Pale? H18 Gallery, Brussels. 2013 The Deepest Darkness, Block 336 London.
2010 In Dialogue, Thomas A Becket Church, Fairfield, Kent (Art Council of England) 2001 ‘Passion ii’, Arthus Gallery, Brussels
2000 ‘Passion’, Vertigo Gallery, London
1997 ‘After Colmar’, Nielson and Wuetrich Fine Art, Thun, Switzerland 1995 ‘Bocklin’s Rock’ Galerie Fossati,Basel, Switzerland
1995 ‘Homage to Bocklin’s Rock’ Lamont Gallery, London
1995 ‘Paintings and Drawings’, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery & Museum, Swansea
1994 ‘Homage to Bocklin’s Rock’, Galeriezur Alten Deutsche Schule, Thun,Switzerland
1992 Galerie zur Alten Deutsche Schule, Thun, Switzerland 1992 Long and Ryle International, London
1989 Andrew Knight Gallery, Cardiff
1985 ‘ Caressing the Twisting Form’ Roger Francis Gallery, London
Group Shows
2023 Royal Academy Summer Show,
2023 Woolwich Print Fair
2021 Small is Beautiful, Flowers Gallery, London.
2019 'Fingertips" curated by Oli Epp at Carl Kostyal Gallery, London
2019 The Flesh of Thought, Blyth Gallery, London
2017 Block 366 5 Year Anniversary Exhibition, Brixton, London.
2015 First Floor, GiG Munich, Germany.
2015 Stations of the Cross, Art Below, St Marylebone Parish Church, London.
2014 drAwn 2gether, Gig Munich, Germany
2013 The Future can Wait, London.
2012 Good Times Roll, High Roller Society, London
2011 Polemically Small, KCCC Exhibition Hall,Lithuania,
2011 Polemically Small, Torrance Art Museum, USA
2010 Papyrophilia (curated by Zavier Ellis) Charlie Smith Gallery London,
2010 Polemically Small, curated by Edward Lucie Smith, Charlie Smith London 2010, ‘Dave the Chimp and Friends’, Kunstverein Wolfsburg, Germany, new year new danger, High Roller Society London 2009 ‘Strange Days and some Flowers’, Storey Gallery, Lancaster (July/September)
2008 ‘The Future Can Wait ‘, The New London School, Old Truman Brewery, London 2008 ‘Paint Lab’, Hockney Gallery, Royal College of Art, London 2008 ‘Icon’, Primo Alonso, London 2007 ‘The Future Can Wait ‘, The New London School, Atlantis Gallery, London
2007 ‘Still Life, Still’, T 1±2 Gallery, London 2007 ‘Parallel Lines - Nature and Society’ - Dubrovacki Muzeji (Dubrovnik Museum) Croatia
2006 ‘Broken Romaticism’, Standpoint Gallery, London 2006 ‘Requiem’, St Anselms Church, London 2006 ‘Obsession’, Sartorial Contemporary, London 2006 ‘Miami Art Fair’, USA (Charlie Smith London)2004 “If You Go Down to the Woods Today”, Rockwell Gallery, London 2003 ‘Gallery Artists’, Vertigo, London2002 ‘30 x 30’, Vertigo, London 2001 ‘Drawing the Line’, Vertigo, London 2000 Art 2000, London (Vertigo Gallery) 2000 ‘Transformations’, Lamont Gallery, London 1999 Art 99, London (Lamont Gallery)1999 ‘Artists From Britain’, Arthus Gallery, Brussels 1999 ‘Royal National Eisteddfod’, Cardiff 1999 ‘Robin Mason and Shani Rhys James’, Paton Gallery,London 1999 ‘Evidence’, Maidstone Museum , Museum and Art Gallery 1999 ‘Cheltenham Drawing Open’, Cheltenham andBerlin 1998 Art 98, London (Lamont Gallery) 1998 Robin Mason and Shani Rhys James, Paton Gallery, London 1997 ‘A-Z,Amiet to Sbinden’, Villa Schupbach,Steffisburg, Switzerland 1997 Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair (Lamont Gallery) 1997 Art 97, London (Lamont Gallery) 1996 ‘Bally Art Festival’, Thun, Switzerland1996 ‘Landscape’, Virgin Atlantic, London1996 Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair (Lamont Gallery)1996 ‘Recent Acquisitions’, Unilever, London1996 ‘Déjà vu’, George Rodger Gallery, KIAD, Maidstone 1996 Art 96, London (Lamont Gallery)1995 ‘Contemporary Classics’, The Studio Club,London 1995 ‘Heads’, Galerie Fossati, Basel, Switzerland 1995 ‘Beyond the Interior’, Lamont Gallery, London 1995 Art 95, London (Lamont Gallery) 1994 ‘Drawing’, Galerie Fossati, Basel, Switzerland 1994 3±3 , Bruton Street Gallery, London 1994‘Beautiful Blooms’, Lamont Gallery, London 1993 ‘Imperial Cancer Contemporary Art’, Sotheby’s, London 1993 ‘Contemporary Art Society Stand, Art ’93, London 1993 ‘Sunday Times Watercolour Competition’, Mall Galleries, London 1993 ‘Royal National Eisteddfod’1992 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1992 Los Angeles Art Fair, USA (Galerie Z a d S, Switzerland)1992 ‘Cabinet Paintings’, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and Museum, Swansea 1992 ‘Summer Exhibition’, Royal Academy of Art, London 1991 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1991 ‘New Patrons’,Christies, London 1991 ‘Cabinet Paintings’, Gillian Jason, London1991 ‘Discerning Eye’, Mall Galleries, London 1990 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1990 ‘Three Ways’, British Council & Royal College of Art tour to Eastern Europe 1990 ‘The Art Machine’, McLellan Gallery, Glasgow 1990 ‘Recent Acquisitions’, Leicestershire Education Authority,Leicester 1989 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1989 ‘Works on Paper’, Galerie zur Alten Deutschen Schule, Thun, Switzerland 1989 ‘New Faces from Britain’, Galerie zur Alten Deutschen Schule, Thun, Switzerland 1989 ‘Royal Overseas League’, Overseas House, London 1989 ‘Cleveland Drawing Biennale’, Middlesbrough 1988 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1988 ‘Recent Acquisitions’, Unilever House, London1988 ‘Summer Show’, Flaxman Gallery,London 1988 ‘Small Pictures’, Square Gallery, London 1988 ‘Homage to the Square’, Flaxman Gallery, London 1987 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1987 ‘100 Prominent Artists’, Diorama gallery, London 1987 ‘The Other Side of the Hill’, Flaxman Gallery, London 1987 ‘New Artists’, Piccadilly Gallery, London 1986 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1986 ‘Interiors’, Upstairs Gallery, London 1986 ‘Drawings as Screens’, Joseph pour La Maison, London 1986 ‘A Tribute to Peter de Francia’, Café Casbar, London 1986 ‘Still Life’, Oriel Bangor, North Wales 1985 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1984 ‘Pick of New Graduate Art’, Christies, London 1984 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1980 ‘New Graduates’, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich 1980 ‘Pick of New Graduate Art’, Icon Gallery, Birmingham 1980 ‘Northern Young Contemporaries’, Whitworth Gallery, Manchester
Publications
2013 The Deepest Darkness, Collected essays and writing, Block 336 Publications
2013 100 London Artists Volume 1: 50Painters - Edward Lucie Smith & Zavier Ellis. Elizabeth Beecher Publishing
2007 Research RCA Edited by Sandra Kemp (Head of Research) RCA Publications
Awards
1989 First Prize and Trophy Winner Royal Overseas League 1989 First Prize, Cleveland International Drawing Biennale 1984 Burston Prize for Painting 1983 J Andrew Lloyd Scholarship for Landscape Painting 1979 First Prize, Northern YoungContemporaries, Whitworth Gallery, Manchester
Teaching
2014 to 2024 Head of Fine Art, City & Guilds of London ArtSchool. 1997 to 2014, Head of Painting and Fine Art Co- ordinator, City & Guilds of London ArtSchool.
2019 to 2023 External Examiner, MA in Traditional Art, Princes Foundation.
Previous activity includes: External Assessor (Illustration) Westminster University; Course Consultant KIAD/UCCA; Curatorial Consultant KIAD/UCCA Rochester; Visiting Tutor at the Royal College of Art, Winchester School of Art, Kent Institute of Art and Design, City and Guilds of London Art School.