Matthew Lanyon

Matthew Lanyon was a Cornish painter whose works created a unique world from his lived experience; colour, shape, iconography, sensual figures and landmarks, it relates to other histories as well as his own.  A prolific artist, his work conveys his passion for life, landscape and the cultural legacy of Cornwall. 

Born in 1951 in St Ives, he was the third child of influential modernist painter Peter Lanyon (1918-1964). Much like his father, Matthew Lanyon attained a reputation as one of the foremost artists in the next generation of St Ives modernists. 

He spent four years in wide ranging academic study, then trained as a carpenter, working in the building trade in Leicester. It was in 1988, having returned to Cornwall that Lanyon began to take his art seriously, creating 3D objects, short surreal films and making small paintings. He had his first exhibition in 1997 at the Rainy Day Gallery in Penzance and began incorporating monumental paintings, large in scale from 2007. He experimented with the mediums of architectural glass and tapestry, and a challenging ‘language as remedy’ 3D project in his later work.

Matthew Lanyon had solo shows held every year since 1998 to his death, including at the Porthminster Gallery in St Ives. His final exhibition in 2016 was held at the New Craftsman Gallery in St Ives, the exhibition honoured the passing of his mother the previous year. His works have been exhibited extensively in the UK and beyond, including at Tate, St Ives and are widely collected.