Ian Breakwell

Ian Breakwell (26 May 1943 in Long Eaton, Derbyshire – 14 October 2005 in London) was a world-renowned British fine artist. He was a prolific artist who took a multi-media approach to his observation of society. Breakwell was born in Derby and studied at Derby College of Art, graduating in 1964.

During the 1970s Breakwell worked with the Artist Placement Group a pioneering artists' organisation founded in 1966 by Barbara Steveni and John Latham, together with David Hall, Barry Flanagan, Anna Ridley, and Jeffrey Shaw among others. It was a milestone in Conceptual Art in Britain, reinventing the means of making and disseminating art.

Ian Breakwell was represented by Angela Flowers Gallery from the early seventies to 1983. Three major solo exhibitions were displayed in 1974, 1977 and 1979, 'The Diary and Related Works', 'Beaten' and 'The Walking Man Diary' respectively. He was included in several group shows at Flowers Gallery, such as 'Contemporary Portraits', curated by Matthew Flowers in 1988 on the occasion of the opening of Flowers East, the Gallery's second premises located on Richmond Road in East London. Breakwell was also part of the exhibition 'The Self Portrait: A Modern View', curated by Edward Lucie-Smith and Sean Kelly, which toured in 9 British venues after its initial display at Artsite Gallery (Bath) and featured over 60 artists including Elisabeth Frink, David Hockney, Peter Blake and Eduardo Paolozzi.

APG set out to place artists in the wider social context beyond galleries, museums and the art market by establishing relationships with companies and government departments. The process of a working relationship would be the prime objective, not artwork production. Breakwell's placements included the Department of Health and Social Security; under its auspices, he worked in Broadmoor and Rampton hospitals. The results included a report, co-written with a group of architects, recommending top-to-bottom changes at Rampton, and a film, The Institution (1978), made with the singer-songwriter and artist Kevin Coyne. A diary entry recalls Breakwell's first APG visit to Rampton, which immediately stirred memories of performing there as a child-conjuror: the incongruous juxtaposition is entirely characteristic.

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