Norman Dilworth 1931-2023

Norman Dilworth (1931–2023) was a British artist renowned for his systematic and constructivist approach to art. Born on January 12, 1931, in Wigan, Lancashire, he began his formal art education at Wigan Art School from 1949 to 1952. He then advanced to the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where he studied from 1952 to 1956 and was awarded the Tonks Prize in 1955. A French government scholarship allowed him to study in Paris from 1956 to 1957, during which he befriended the sculptor Alberto Giacometti.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Dilworth's work was associated with Kinetic art, focusing on geometric forms that engaged viewers' perceptions. He participated in notable exhibitions, including the Young Contemporaries Exhibitions (1953–1955) and the John Moores Exhibition in 1959. In 1966, he exhibited alongside artists such as Bridget Riley and Michael Kidner at the Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry.

Dilworth's artistic evolution led him towards Constructivist art, creating large, freestanding structures often composed of intricate assemblages of steel rods or black-stained wood. In 1971, following a successful solo exhibition at The Hague, he relocated to Amsterdam, where he lived until 2002 before moving to Lille, France.

Throughout his career, Dilworth explored the possibilities of Concrete Art through painting, drawing, and sculpture. His works are characterized by their mathematical precision and the creation of spatial relationships, transforming lines, numbers, and volumes into dynamic forms.

In 2019, at the age of 88, Dilworth was honored with the Peter C. Ruppert Prize for Concrete Art in Europe, becoming the first British-born artist to receive this accolade. He passed away on January 25, 2023, in Lille, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence and inspire the fields of Constructivist and Concrete Art.