Richard Mathieson b. 1957

RICHARD MATHIESON

b. 1957

Richard has exhibited widely with dealer and public galleries within New Zealand. As well as making sculpture, Mathieson runs ‘Install Art’ – an art and object installation business and teaches sculpture programmes for the ‘Artists in Schools’ programme. 

Richard attended New Plymouth Boys High School where he was fortunate to have painter Tom Kreisler as his art teacher. Kreisler encouraged Richard to go to Art School and he studied sculpture at Elam Fine Art School , Auckland University,  from 1980 – 1985.

From 1986-1990, Richard co-directed Star Art Gallery in Karangahape Road with art school friend John Irving. This project furthered his interest in presenting art to the public -  a passion he gained after working at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth during summer breaks while at Elam.  Star Art's focus was to promote Richard's and John's contemporaries from all disciplines, as there were no galleries championing their age group at the time.

In 1989 Richard received a QEll Arts Council Grant for his first solo exhibition, and that year Star Art hosted the inaugural exhibition of the New Zealand Contemporary Medallion Group, now called Medal Art NZ (MANZ).  Richard is a long time member of MANZ, he acted as convenor from 2001 - 2007.  MANZ now shows regularly with ARTIS Gallery - with over thirty exhibiting members - and Richard has exhibited and curated their biennial exhibitions here since 2017.  

Richard's choice of materials are mainly wood and bronze. He often utilizes the ancient method of sand casting – pouring bronze into sand moulds (both hard sand and green sand) and making the patterns out of wood.  For small works, like medals, he also uses the lost wax/ceramic shell process. Though his work is essentially abstract, it has a formal, mathematical quality, often using repetition and a modular approach to shape making.

Richard has exhibited regularly at the Biennial 'Sculpture OnShore' in Auckland and has undertaken commissions for public spaces in Auckland, including Auckland Botanic Gardens and Orewa College.  

In 2007 Richard was instrumental in the creation and development of the Sculpture in the Gardens' project at the Auckland Botanic Gardens – a major Biennial Summer outdoor sculpture show, that feeds into a burgeoning permanent New Zealand sculpture collection. He was Curator for Sculpture in the  Gardens from 2016 –2020.