Robert Montgomery
TEXT ART | PAINTING | LIGHT ART | PUBLIC ART
Robert Montgomery was born in Scotland, where he studied painting at Edinburgh College of Art and developed a deep passion for poetry. There he began a journey of experimenting with words and visuals, looking at the various ways they can be associated. After moving to London in the early 2000s, he began creating “visual poems” – installation pieces with text – onto billboards. In doing so, Montgomery made art and poetry both readily accessible for all, whilst simultaneously subverting the traditional symbols of capitalism in the public sphere.
In 2008, personal grief led him into a more emotional and intimate direction, resulting in the creation of his first light work, The People You Love. This expression of sorrow, of love in a time of loss, connected with a large audience, who made this work part of their own processes of bereavement and recovery. Carried by the possibility of the universal, Montgomery’s work democratises poetry’s sacred reflection on the physical and spiritual. If always in the same recognisable font, the materiality and form of his installations adapt to the location it is dedicated to. From lights to burning letters, woodcut pieces to paintings, Montgomery gives a diverse body to his poetry. Often the prose relates to the surroundings, and can be read as a commentary on the site and space; often relating to the local history, such as his 2023 light work in Somerstown, London. Montgomery’s work tackles other omnipresent conversations such as climate change, leading him to rethink his process and tools. In 2008, he developed an ecological alternative to neon lights formed from the first-ever recycled PVC construction sheet. In 2021, Montgomery collaborated with Little Sun (co-founded by artist Olafur Eliasson) on Grace of the Sun – a solar powered light poem urging commitment to renewable energy at the UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
Driven by melancholy, yet animated by the action-led effects of his practice, Montgomery’s work both responds to socio-political urges and yet proposes a quiet moment for thoughts. Oscillating between lyricism and politics, Montgomery offers a tangible manifestation of poetry.
Selected Exhibitions
2023
‘When We Are Gone The Trees Will Riot’, Solo exhibition, UBP Monaco, Monaco, France.
‘Tumultes’, Danysz Gallery, Paris, France.
2022
‘La Suite de l’Histoire’, Musée du Louvre, Jardin des Tuilieries, Paris, France.
‘Le Futur Expliqué aux Extraterrestres’, Centre Culturel Jean Cocteau, Lilas, France.
‘Robert Montgomery: The Future Is An Invisible Playground’, Madison Gallery, San Diego, US.
‘Power! Light!’, Kunstmuseum Wolsburg, Germany.
‘Urbain.es’, La Condition Publique, Roubaix, France.
2021
‘Salvage Paradise’, solo exhibition, Danysz Gallery, Paris, France.
‘Grace of the Sun’, Robert Montgomery X Little Sun at COP26 large scale solar powered light poem installation, MTA Art Agency, Glasgow, UK.
‘The Green Path’, The Museum of Perama, Athens, Greece.
‘The Stars Pulled Down for Real’, solo exhibition, Oklahoma Contemporary, Oklahoma, US.
‘Recovery Poem’, commissioned by Emergency Exit Arts and Arts Council England, Brighton, UK.
2020
‘Year of the Propoganda Corrupted Plebiscites’, Mannerheim Gallery, Paris, France.
‘O Sole Mio’, Parasol Foundation for Contemporary Art, London, UK.
‘Body,Gaze,Power’, Staatlichen Kunsthalle Baden-Baden and Stadtmuseum Baden-Baden, Germany.
‘Sharing Perama’, Public work, The British Council, Swiss Embassy, Analix Forever and The J. F. Costopoulos Foundation, Perama, Athens, Greece.
‘Klagfarben Text: Visual Poetry for the 21st Century’, British Council at the Lyrik Kabinett, Munich, Germany.
2019
‘Libres’, Centre d’art Contemporian, Yverdon-les-Bains, Swizterland.
‘Shiny Colourful Amusements for the Walls of the Bourgeoisie’, solo exhibition, JD Malat Gallery, London, UK.
‘Robert Montgomery: Stoke Works’, text fragments around the city of Stoke-on-Trent, curated by B-Arts, UK.
‘The Beginning of Hope: Robert Montgomery’, Galerie Analix-Forever, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘Robert Montgomery: The City in Their Echo’, solo exhibition, Aspen Art Museum, exhibition, Aspen, US.
2018
‘Paper Peace’, Emergency Exit Arts and Arts Council England national touring project.
‘Estuary Poem for Wyndham Lewis’, Solo exhibition, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London.
‘In Our Dreams We See Forever’, commission for the Royal Society for Blind Children, travelling the UK.
‘E-Luminate Cambridge’, Kings College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
‘Bombay Beach Biennale’, Bombay Beach, California, US.
‘New Generation’, Madison Gallery, San Diego, US.
‘La Prison Exposee’, Champ-Dollon À Penthes, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘A Journey to Freedom’, Tasmanian National Museum and Art Gallery, Tasmania, Australia.
2017
‘Hammersmith Poem and Love Letters to Kazimir Malevich’, Solo exhibition, Cob Gallery, London, UK.
‘Frieze Billboards’, Solo project, Shoreditch, London, UK.
‘Parasolstice: Robert Montgomery’, solo project, Parasol Unit Art Foundation, London, UK.
‘The UK Holocaust Memorial Shortlist’, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK.
2016
‘Year of the Propaganda Corrupted Plebiscites’, solo exhibition, Mannerheim Gallery, Paris, France.
‘Year of the Corrupted Eclipse’, Printspace, solo exhibition, London, UK.
‘Cardiff Contemporary’, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
‘Yinchuan Biennale’, Yinchuan Museum of Contemporary Art, China.
‘La Littorale- Biennale d’art Contemporain d’Anglet’, Anglet, Sud-Ouest France.
‘Nuart Festival’, Stavanger, Norway.
‘A New Language: Root 1066 Festival’, Hastings, UK.
‘The Crystal Ship’, Oostende, Belgium.
‘Poetry For Change’, Kulturno Informativni Centar, Zagreb, Croatia.
‘To Fast to Live Too Young to Die’, Solo project, Climate Coalition at Osterley Park, London, UK.
‘Still Future’, Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, Scotland, UK.
‘Icona Prize’, Museo Mart, Verona.
2015
‘Robert Montgomery’, solo exhibition, Cer Modern Museum, Ankara, Turkey.
‘Robert Montgomery’, solo exhibition, Istanbul’74, Istanbul, Turkey.
‘Chapter 6 in Which We Sit Like Docile Cattle While You Use The Aesthetics Of Punk Rock To Sell Credit Cards Back To Us’, solo exhibition, Galerie Nuke and Istanbul‘74′, Paris, France.
‘ART COP 21’, Paris, France.
‘Bodies Burning at the Edges’, Columbia University, New York, US.
‘People You Love’, The Southbank Centre, London, UK.
‘The Stars Pulled Down For Real’, public project for All Rise Seattle, US.
‘Robert Montgomery’, solo exhibition, Istanbul’74, Istanbul, Turkey.
‘Sunday in the Park with Ed’, Display Gallery, London, UK.
‘I was dancing when I was 8’, solo exhibition, Galerie Analix Forever, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘Searock Songlines’, solo exhibition, Saalfelden Leogang, Austria.
2014
‘3 Poems About Buildings and Trees’, Nuit Blanche, Brussels.
LA Billboard poems, curated by Do Art Foundation and Art Share, Los Angeles, US.
‘Louvre Fire Poem’, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, France.
[Solo project], IST Festival, Istanbul.
‘Piles of Dirt and Glass You Walk Upon’, Galerie Colette, Solo exhibition, Paris, France.
‘Fields of Vision’, Grand Depart Tour de France, Yorkshire Festival, UK.
Ian Hamilton Finlay, Robert Montgomery, Lawrence Wiener. Anna Lüpertz Gallery, Berlin.
2013
‘Affordable Care’, Manya Wynwood, Miami, US.
‘Robert Montgomery’, solo exhibition, C24 Gallery, New York, US.
‘Quand l’art Prend la Ville’, Defacto, La Défense, Paris, France.
Edinburgh Fire Poem. Commission for the Edinburgh Art Festival, The Mound, Scotland, UK.
‘In Dreams’, Cob Gallery, London, UK.
‘Sculpture al Fresco III’, Great Fosters, Surrey, UK.
‘City is Wilder’, installation at Kater Holzig, Anna Jil Lüpertz Gallery, Berlin, Germany.
‘Echoes of Voices in the High Towers’, Galerie Nuke, Paris, France.
Tokyo Billboards, Harajuko. Each X Other Projects.
2012
‘The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Fort Kochi, Kerala, India.
‘Closer’, Spinello Projects, Miami, US.
‘Le Printemps de Septembre a Toulouse’, curated by Paul Ardenne. Toulouse, France.
‘Robert Montgomery: Echoes of Voices in the High Towers’, Neue Berliner Räume, Stattbad Wedding, and billboard sites, Berlin.
‘From The Age of The Poets. Cy Twombly, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Robert Montgomery etc’, Aanat & Zoo, Berlin, Germany.
‘Preposterous’, La Scatola, London, UK.
‘Sublime: Kursiv. James Lee Byars, Christian Boltanski, Douglas Gordon and Robert Montgomery’, Anna Jill Lupertz Gallery at Epicentro Art, Berlin, Germany.
‘Noir Clair’, Galerie Vanessa Quang, Paris, France.
‘Wealth’, Mass, London, UK.
‘Oneliners’, KOP, Breda, Netherlands.
‘Robert Montgomery: Echoes of Voices in the High Towers’, Neue Berliner Räume, Berlin, Germany.
‘Whenever An Angel’, solo exhibition,, Galerie Analix-Forever, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘It Turned Out This Way cos You Dreamed it This Way’, Solo exhibition, KK Outlet and billboard sites, London, UK.
‘A Gathering’, Athens Festival, Athens, Greece.
‘Art St Barth’, Valentine de Badereau Gallery, St Barths, US.
2011
‘Fire of Each Other’, solo exhibition, Galerie Nuke, Paris, France.
‘And Like This You Keep Them Alive/On Love’, Neue Berliner Räume, Berlin, Germany.
‘All Palaces Are Temporary Palaces’, Courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo Paris, Paris, France.
‘The Streets Belong to No One’, Truck on the streets of the Galata neighbourhood. Casa dell Arte project collateral to the 12th Istanbul Biennale, Istanbul, Turkey.
‘All Palaces Are Temporary Palaces’, Lyon Docks, Docks Art Fair Program, Lyon, France.
‘Orientale*’, The Venice Biennale, Chiesa delle Zitelle, Venice, Italy.
‘Royal Wedding Poem (gesso panel version)’, Scope Foundation project with Galerie Analix-Forever, Scope Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
‘Royal Wedding Poems’, Billboard series, London, UK.
‘Génération Polluée: Davide Bertocchi, Cyprien Gaillard, Camille Henrot, Marc Horowitz, Robert Montgomery, Douglas White’, Galerie Nuke, Paris, France.
2010
‘Trees’, Galerie Analix-Forever, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘Heart of Glass’, 20 Hoxton Square Projects, London, UK.
‘The People You Love Become Ghosts Inside of You’, Scope Foundation project with Galerie Analix-Forever, Scope Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
‘I Won’t Give Up’, Coningsby Gallery, London, UK.
‘Cars and Bikes’, Galerie Analix-Forever, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘Don’t Jump’, Galerie Bigger Better Space, Vienna, Austria.
‘The People You Love Become Ghosts Inside of You’, The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, UK.
2009
‘Emotional Emergency’, solo exhibition, Analix Forever Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland.
‘Words in the City at Night’, Billboard Series, London, UK.
‘Utopia/Distopia’, The Grand Palais, Art Paris, Paris, France.
‘Learning by Doing: 25 Years of Artist’s in Residence at the MFAH’, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, US.
2008
‘Derniers Jours: May 68/May 08’, solo exhibition, Galerie Nuke, Paris, France.
‘I Won’t Give Up’, collaboration with Fabio Paleari, Guido Costa Projects, Turin, Italy.
2007
‘Strategic Art Getts’, The Embassy, Edinburgh, UK.
Dazed & Confused versus Andy Warhol, The Baltic, Newcastle, Gateshead, UK.
2006
‘The Circle of Dead Grass Where the Circus Used to Be: Sean Flynn, David Fryer, Robert Montgomery’, Trolley Gallery, London, UK.
‘Words in the City at Night’, The Margaret Thatcher Project, New York, US.
2005
‘God is Bored of Us’, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, London, UK.
‘Words in the City at Night’, London, UK.
Collections
Public
The Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
The LVMH Collection.
Museum of Fine Art, Houston, US.
The Albright Knox Museum, New York, US.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, China.
The City of Saalfelden Leogang Collection, Salzburg, Austria.
The Artshare Collection, Los Angeles, US.
The Black Gold Museum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Edinburgh Art Festival Collection, Edinburgh, UK.
Kochi Biennale Collection, Kochi, India.
Casa dell Arte Collection, Bodrum, Turkey.
The Dick Institute Collection, Scotland, UK.
The Groucho Club Collection, UK.
Private
Gianni and Michael Alen-Buckley Collection, London, UK.
Markus Luepertz Collection, Berlin, Germany.
Jacques Esseberg Collection, Paris and St Tropez, France.
Manja Gideon Collection, Geneva, Switzerland.
Wassner Collection, New York, US.
Benoit Pierre Emery Collection, Paris, France.
Collection of Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe, Antwerp, Belgium.
Charlie and Elizabeth Cetin Collection, London, UK.
Bridget and Logan Plant Collection, Somerset, UK.
Florence Welch Collection, London, UK.
Michael Stipe Collection, New York, US.
Selected
artworks
A Hundred Years , 2014
LED Light (12 Volts), birch wood and copper 190 x 137 cm (Edition of 5)
Annunciation Painting (Enemies of the Icebergs and the Stars) , 2019
Acrylic and glaze on canvas 190 x 120 cm
Annunciation Painting (Famous Gutters) , 2019
Acrylic and glaze on canvas 165 x 125 cm
Annunciation Painting (New Countries) , 2019
Acrylic and glaze on canvas 156 x 90 cm
Money is a Superstition , 2019
Archival print on Hahnemühle, German etching paper 75 x 75 cm
Poem in Lights to be Scattered in the Square Mile , 2017
LED Light (12 Volts), powder coated aluminium column
Salvage Paradise , 2021
LED Light (12 Volts), recycled PVC, wood and copper 300 x 480 cm (Edition of 5)
Salvage Paradise (Belgian Cross) , 2021
LED Light (12 Volts), recycled PVC, wood and copper 210 x 145 cm (Edition of 5)
Sentinels , 2012
LED Light (12 Volts), oak and green polymer 350 x 350 cm (Edition of 5)
The Future is a Risk of Our Hearts , 2021
LED Light (12 Volts), oak and polymer 55 x 878 cm
The Trees will Riot , 2019
Archival print on Hahnemühle, German etching paper 75 x 75 cm
People You Love , 2013
LED Light (12 Volts), oak and recycled polymer 180 x 184 cm (Edition of 5)
STOKE WORKS number 01. poem fragments across Stoke-on-Trent for B-Arts
Archival print on Hahnemühle German Etching paper (signed) 46.5 x 70 cm 50% of profits go to support the program of B-Arts Community Art project Stoke-on-Trent
Blue Dawn (Malevich Ghost)
Archival print on Hahnemühle, German Etching paper 70 x 55 cm (Edition of 100)
All Palaces , 2018
Print archival inkjet on Hahnemühle etching paper 50 x 70 cm (Edition of 100); 100 x 70 (Edition of 5)
Butterflies Now (Malevich Ghost)
Archival print on Hahnemühle, German etching paper 70 x 50 cm (Edition of 100)
Oscar Night Poem (The Flood) , 2013
Oak, recycled polymer, 12 Volt LED Lights 180 x 184 cm (Edition of 3)
All Palaces , 2018
Print archival inkjet on Hahnemühle etching paper 50 x 70 cm, (Edition of 100); 100 x 70, (Edition of 5)
The City is Wilder
Print archival inkjet on Hahnemühle etching paper 80 x 38.5 cm (Edition of 100)
The Sea has no Name for America , 2018
German etching paper, 72.5 x 50 cm (Edition of 100); Giclee on Hahnemühle photo rag, 162 x 109 cm (Edition of 5)
Whenever You see the Sun , 2018
Print archival inkjet on Hahnemühle etching paper 71.5 x 50 cm (Edition of 100); 100 x 70 cm (Edition of 5)
To Wake Up and be like the Weather
Print archival inkjet on Hahnemühle etching paper 50 x 70 cm (Edition of 100); 100 x 70 cm, (Edition of 5)
