Stephen Chambers

Stephen Chambers (born 1960) is a British artist and Royal Academician (elected 2005).[1]

Chambers studied at Winchester School of Art from 1978 to 1979 and at Saint Martin's School of Art, from 1979 to 1982.[2] in 1983, he received a master's degree from Chelsea School of Art.[2] He has won many scholarships and awards, including a Rome Scholarship, a Fellowship at Winchester School of Art, and a Mark Rothko Memorial Trust Travelling Award.[3]

From 1998 to 1989, Chambers was the Kettle’s Yard/Downing College Cambridge Fellow.[4] In 2016, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Downing College in the University of Cambridge.[5]

He has exhibited widely, with more than 40 solo presentations, including The Big Country at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 2012,[3] and at the Pera Museum, Istanbul, in 2014.[6]

His work is held in many international collections including Arts Council England; Deutsche Bank, London; Downing College, Cambridge;[7]Government Art Collection, London; Metropolitan Museum, New York; Pera Museum, Istanbul, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.[8]

He has collaborated with Ashley Page and Orlando Gough on three contemporary dance productions for The Royal Ballet, London: Sleeping with Audrey (1996),[9]Room of Cooks (1997,1999),[10] and This House Will Burn (2001).[11]

According to the artist, his work “speaks of states of mind, behaviours and sensibilities.” Critics have praised Chamber’s use of colour and his painterly exploration of his medium.[3]

In May 2017, Chambers staged an exhibition entitled The Court of Redonda[12] as an official collateral event at the Biennale Arte 2017 (Venice Biennale).[13] The exhibition took its name from the literary legend of the Kingdom of Redonda, to which Chambers was introduced by the writings of the Spanish novelist Javier Marías.[14] Following the Venice exhibition, Chambers was awarded the title of Viscount Biennale of Redonda, and his Redondan works featured in 2018 at The Heong Gallery at Downing College, Cambridge.[15]