Robyn Denny (1930-2014)
Portrait Series (4)

Screenprint
80 x 58 cm
Signed to the bottom right and blind stamped
Numbered 27/30

​‘No painting should reveal all it has to say as a kind of instant impact. Abstract painting, that is painting that is not about subject matter, if it is any good should be as diverse, and complex, and strange and unaccountable and unnameable as an experience, as any painting of any consequence has been in the past. ‘
– Robyn Denny, ISIS art journal interview, 1964

Denny, a prominent British abstract artist, was known for his minimalist and geometric style. In Portraits Series A, he employed vibrant colours and structured forms, reflecting his interest in the visual language of urban environments and modernity. These works exemplify his approach during the early 1970s, a period when he was gaining significant recognition, culminating in a solo retrospective at the Tate Gallery in 1973.

Denny led an illustrious career over more than 50 years. Born in Surrey, England, he studied at the Royal College of Art, where he became a leading figure in the rise of postwar abstraction in Britain.

Emerging in the 1950s and 60s, Denny’s work moved away from traditional painterly gestures, embracing a sleek, modern aesthetic influenced by urban environments, advertising, and contemporary architecture. His paintings often featured large-scale, hard-edged forms, creating a dynamic interplay between structure and depth. He was also deeply involved in printmaking, producing influential series like Portraits Series A (1973).

Denny gained international recognition, representing Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1966, and his work was celebrated in a major retrospective at Tate Gallery in 1973. Over the decades, his art evolved, but he remained committed to exploring the relationship between form, colour, and movement.

Today, his work is held in prestigious collections, including Tate Britain and the Victoria & Albert Museum, securing his legacy as one of the most important British abstract painters of his time. Who knows… you might have even seen his public art work of coloured lines in Embankment tube station.

Condition: Generally very good.

If you would like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.