Michael Craig-Martin Biography

Conceptual artist and painter Michael Craig-Martin is known for capturing the beauty in the everyday. Working with lurid and unexpected colour combinations and flat, minimalist compositions, Craig-Martin’s distinctive depictions of quotidian objects have secured him a place as one of the world’s most sought-after artists of the conceptual movement. 

Teaching at Goldsmiths College School of Art from 1974–88, and again from 1994–2000, Craig-Martin was a key figure in the development of the Young British Artists, including Gary Hume, Ian Davenport, and Damien Hirst – a set who would go on to inspire a generation and leave an indelible mark on modern art. Craig-Martin’s influence can still be felt in the work of these artists, and his inimitable style continues to inspire new generations of emerging practitioners.