B. 1931

Bridget Riley emerged in the 1960s Britain with bold, monochromatic and minimalistic geometric abstractions. Moving away from the strictly monochromatic palette, she began to explore colour in late 1960s. Today, Riley is an internationally renowned contemporary painter, celebrated for the dynamic visual perception and optical illusions in her vibrating canvases of rhythmic lines and curves. 

Her work draws inspiration from a diverse range of sources, including the natural rhythms of the seas near her childhood home in Cornwall, the cultural colour palettes of Egypt and India, and the French Neo-Impressionist artist Georges Seurat. This exploration led to compositions that pulse with energy and movement, creating a complex visual sensation rooted in deceptively simple forms.

Riley has been a prominent female artist in abstraction for decades, exhibiting globally and receiving numerous prizes. In a landmark moment, she became the first woman to be awarded the International Prize for painting at the Venice Biennale in 1968. Consistently recognized by major institutions worldwide, Riley’s profound exploration of abstraction and Optical Art cements her as as one of the most influential pioneers of contemporary visual culture.