Biography (abbreviated)

Born in London, Ralph Freeman studied at St Martin’s and Harrow Schools of Art 1961-1965.

He worked as an artist, graphic designer and musician in London and Europe until 1983, whereafter he has painted exclusively. He also continues to compose and perform as a jazz pianist, in 1998 founding St Ives Jazz Club.

Moving to St Ives in 1988, he was elected a member of the Newlyn and the Penwith Societies of Artists and awarded a Porthmeor Studios Arts Council tenancy.

Work from this period was featured in a solo show at Tate St Ives and the Freud Museum.

In 2012 he relocated and now works from his London studio.

His work has been exhibited in numerous solo and curated exhibitions in the UK, Germany, Italy, Holland and USA.

Selected solo exhibitions

Tate St Ives; Freud Museum, London; Camden Arts Centre, London; Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro; Gardner Arts Centre, Sussex; Louise Hallett Gallery, London; Castello di Pomerio, Milan; Artspace, London; Millennium Gallery, St Ives (regular shows 1999 - 2010); Campden Gallery, Chipping Campden (regular shows since 2004); Thackeray Gallery, London (regular shows since 2013).

Selected group exhibitions

Wordsworth Trust, London; New Mexico Artists for Peace, and Chicago Art Expo, USA; Edinburgh Festival; Falmouth Art Gallery, Newlyn Gallery, Millennium Gallery, and Penwith Galleries, Cornwall; Maidstone Museum; Nunnery Gallery, London; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol; Beatrice Royal Gallery, Bath; Jean Monet Haus, Berlin; Ben Uri Gallery, London.

Public collections

Freud Museum, London; Yad Vashem, Jerusalem; Falmouth Art Gallery; Yamaha, Alco Corp, Korea.

Visiting lectureships

Central St Martin’s College of Art; University College Falmouth;
University of Sussex; University of Central England and Bournemouth College of Art.

Commissions have included murals, stage sets, photographic projects and a wide range of cultural, musical, social and corporate multimedia design work.

He has been the subject of numerous publications, more recently including The Journal of the History of Modern Art (G.Morra).

Biography

1945

born London.

1961-65

St Martin’s and Harrow Schools of Art.

1965-83

Studied jazz piano and composition. Worked as musician (1964-67) and art director and designer in London and Europe (Hamburg 67-70 & Frankfurt 74-76).

1983-88

Returned to painting exclusively, working in London, Italy and Cornwall.

1988

Moved to St Ives, Cornwall.

1989-2006

Composed and recorded works for jazz ensemble.

1992

Elected member of Newlyn Society of Artists, (served on committee 1993-2003). Elected member of Penwith Society of Artists.

1996

Granted tenancy of one of the Porthmeor Studios.

1998

Founded St Ives Jazz Club.

2012

Moved to London

Solo exhibitions

2021

'Back to Back', New Craftsman Gallery (two person with Alice Freeman)

2021

'Unlocked', Campden Gallery, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire.

2017

'Bloodlines', New Craftsman Gallery (two person with Alice Freeman)

2017

'Point In Time', Campden Gallery, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire.

2015

'Another Place to Be', Thackeray Gallery, London.

2013

'A Collection', Thackeray Gallery, London.

2012

'Connections', Campden Gallery, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire.

2010

'Postmemory', Millennium, St Ives.

2008

'Matter out of Place', New Millennium Gallery, St Ives.

2006

'Paintings and Constructions', New Millennium Gallery, St Ives.

2003

New Millennium Gallery, St Ives.

2002

Freud Museum, London: 'Foundations and Fragments'.

1999

New Millennium Gallery, St Ives.

  • Gardner Arts Centre, University of Sussex: 'Foundations and Fragments'.

1997-98

Tate Gallery St Ives: 'Foundations and Fragments'.

1996

Sternberg Centre, London: 'Foundations and Fragments'.

1992

Royal Cornwall Museum: 'New Paintings'.

1991

Stuhlmann Gallery, Hamburg.

1990

'Man, Spirit, Energy', Castello di Pomerio, Milan: series of commissioned works.

1988

Louise Hallett Gallery, London.

1986

'Etruscan Lands', Artspace Gallery, London.

1985

'Fire and Water', Goldader Gallery, Hamburg.

1983

Camden Arts Centre, London.

Selected group exhibitions & projects

2010 'St Ives School', Martins Gallery.
2009 'Winter', Millennium, St Ives.
2009 Lemon Street Gallery, Truro
2004

'Fragments from Life', Campden Gallery.

  • Gallery@OneOTwo, London.
  • Lemon Street Gallery, Truro.
  • 'St Ives – The Next Wave', Hutson Gallery, London.
  • 'The Book Show II', Wordsworth Trust, Cumbria.
2003

'The Book Show', Nunnery Gallery, London.

  • Adze Gallery, York.
  • 'Conflict & Resolution', Harbour House Gallery, Devon.
2002

'Twenty Years of Contemporary Art', Jean Monnet-Haus, Berlin.
2000

'Twenty Years of Contemporary Art', Falmouth Art Gallery.

  • 'The Music Show', Bruton Gallery.
1999

'The New St Ives Artists', Maidstone Museum & Gallery.

  • 'Aspects of Abstraction' (group of 4), Falmouth Art Gallery.
  • 'Cornish Art in the Nineties', Beatrice Royal Gallery, Eastleigh.
1998

Prizewinner, 'Critic's Choice', Newlyn Art Gallery.

  • Royal West of England Academy.
1996-2002

'Kunst uit Cornwall', Amersfoort, Holland.
1996

Hebden Bridge Arts Festival.
1993

Edinburgh Festival, Demarco’s European Art Foundation.

  • Newlyn Festival, invited artist.
1992-2008

NSA Members’ Exhibitions, Newlyn Art Gallery.

  • Penwith Society of Artists Members’ Exhibitions.
1992

'Crossing the Boundaries (Four Cornish Artists in Europe)', Royal Cornwall Museum.
1989

Boundary Gallery, London.
1988-90

Chicago International Art Expo, Louise Hallet Gallery.
1986-90

Louise Hallett Gallery, London
1986

'Eight European Artists', Civitella D’Agliano, Italy.

  • Anderson O’Day Gallery.
1985

'New Mexico Artists for Peace', Albuquerque.
1982-86

Camden Arts Centre, London.
1982

'The Other Hand', Ben Uri Gallery, London.

Visiting lectureships

2006

University College Falmouth.

2001

Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design.

1999

University of Sussex.

1998

University of Central England.

1985

Bournemouth College of Art.

Bibliography

2021

Back to Back, New Craftsman Gallery (two person with Alice Freeman)

2021

Unlocked, Campden Gallery

2017

Bloodlines, New Craftsman Gallery

2017

Point in Time, Campden Gallery

2015

Another Place to Be, Thackeray Gallery, (exh cat).

2013

A Collection, Thackeray Gallery, (exh cat).

2012

Connections, Campden Gallery, (exh cat).

2011

'The Art Issue', Cornwall Today.

2010

Journal of History of Modern Art (Korea), Giovanna Morra.

  • Ralph Freeman, Postmemory, Millennium, St Ives, (exh cat).
  • Contemporary Art Inside The Freud Museum. Ralph Freeman: Situating an Ambivalent Postmemory Practice, Giovanna Morra.

2008

Matter out of Place, New Millennium Gallery, (exh cat).

2006

Ralph Freeman, The Second Generation, A Rotas (PhD paper).

— Ralph Freeman, Paintings and Constructions, New Millennium Gallery, (exh cat).
— Art About St Ives, Gilbert, Ray, & Orchard.

2004

Falmouth Art Gallery Collection Vol 4.

  • St Ives – The Next Wave, Hutson Gallery, London, (exh cat).

2003

Ralph Freeman, More Than the Messages, Michael Bird, New Millennium Gallery, (exh cat).

  • The Book Show, Utopia Press with The Nunnery and Wordsworth Trust.
2002 ARTNSA, Newlyn Society of Artists publication.

2001

Behind the Canvas, Sarah Brittain and Simon Cook.

2000

Arts Review (October issue), Michael Bird.

  • Twenty Years of Contemporary Art at Falmouth Art Gallery.

1997

Foundations and Fragments, David Cohen, Tate Gallery St Ives, (exh cat).

1996

Drawing Towards the End of the Century, Newlyn Society of Artists publication.

1994

Portrait of an Art Colony, Marion Whybrow.

  • Artists in their Workplace, Marion Whybrow.

1992

Ralph Freeman, New Paintings, Royal Cornwall Museum, (exh cat).

1990

Man, Spirit, Energy, Albion Group, (exh cat).

1988

Ralph Freeman, Recent Works, Louise Hallett Gallery, (exh cat).

Commissions

2006

Partita, Julian Arguelles (CD art).

1997

Songs for the Betrayed World, Life & Death Orchestra (artwork).

1993-2002

Newlyn Society of Artists exhibition posters and publishing projects.

1990

'Man, Spirit, Energy', series of thirty works for The Albion Co.

1985

'Nevermore', Study of Paul Gaugin, London theatre stage set.

1967-83

Wide-ranging design and concept work, including social, cultural, political and film posters as well as numerous print, photographic, TV and corporate design projects.

Public collections

  • Yad Vashem Museum, Jerusalem.
  • Freud Museum, London.
  • Falmouth Art Gallery.
  • Albion Collection.
  • Yamaha Kemble Music.
  • Alco Corp, Korea.
  • Conran D&D Collection.

Canfield Sessions

Recorded December 4th, 2019 at Canfield Gardens, London (listen on SoundCloud)

Another Place to Be

Watch video on YouTube