NORMAN ACKROYD
“Norman Ackroyd RA was my etching tutor, when I was studying for my Postgraduate Diploma in Printmaking at London’s Central School of Art and Design in 1987-8, and I have long admired the unsurpassed subtleties of his aquatints. There is an extraordinary range of tonality within his etchings as well as a pure, undiluted sense of poetry, which is a constant influence.
Hardly anyone can create the almost alchemical tonal marvels that Norman achieves on his plates; those that do are invariably Norman’s protégées. There has been an especial poignancy to contemplating Norman’s remote mountainscapes and wild seas during recent lockdowns in our homes, yet this only adds to their compelling allure.”
Anne Desmet RA
Norman Ackroyd RA
NORMAN ACKROYD RA
Norman Ackroyd RA
Norman Ackroyd studied at Leeds College of Art from 1956 to 1961, and subsequently at the Royal College of Art, London from 1961 to 1964. Ackroyd has had many solo exhibitions, both in Britain and internationally, including Anderson O’Day; Aitken Dott, Edinburgh; Jersey Arts Centre, Channel Islands and the Compass Gallery, Glasgow. Solo shows abroad include the National Museum of Art, Santiago, Chile; Jan Turner, Los Angeles; Dolan/Maxwell Gallery, Philadelphia and the Mickleson Gallery, Washington DC. Ackroyd has also received several public mural commissions, produced in etched stainless steel or bronze. Recent commissions include Lloyds Bank, London; British Airways, Birmingham Airport; Freshfields, London; Tetrapack, Stockley Park, Heathrow; a bronze mural for the Main Hall of the British Embassy, Moscow; and Lazards Bank, Stratton Street, London W1.
Norman Ackroyd was elected a Royal Academician in 1991 and was made Senior Fellow, Royal College of Art in 2000. Ackroyd lives and works in London.