Born in London in 1922, Irvin’s early life was shaped by the upheavals of World War II. Though he began his studies at the Northampton School of Art, they were interrupted in 1941 when he joined the Royal Air Force as a navigator. After the war, Irvin studied at Goldsmiths College, where he later returned to teach between 1962 and 1983. This long connection to Goldsmiths placed Irvin at the centre of a generation of British artists redefining abstraction in the post-war period.
Though Irvin’s early work included semi-abstract landscapes and still lifes, he later more fully embraced abstraction, adopting a distinctly British form of this gestural art style. This shift was partly due to the artist’s exposure to American Expressionism in the 1950s, particularly the work of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock.
Irvin's paintings are often read as emotional maps — dense, vibrant surfaces that suggest the energy of cities, journeys and human activity. Titles frequently reference London streets or places, reinforcing the sense that these works are still grounded in everyday life, even if they are not literal depictions.
Working on increasingly large canvases from the 1970s onwards, Irvin developed a physical approach to painting, often working with canvases on the floor or wall and using broad, energetic brushwork. The result is work that feels immediate and yet carefully structured beneath his spontaneity. His work also spanned different mediums, including screen printing, which the artist took up in the 1980s.
In 1998, Irvin was elected to the Royal Academy and then appointed OBE in 2013. He continued painting up until his death in 2015. The artist left behind a legacy as one of the key figures in late 20th-century British abstraction, with his work held in major global collections including the Tate, Royal Academy and the V&A Museum.
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Abstract
Albert Irvin, R.A. (1922-2015)
Cavendish
Albert Irvin, R.A. (1922-2015)
San Rocco
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Sanctuary
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Marius
Albert Irvin, R.A. (1922-2015)
Landscape
Albert Irvin (British, b. 1922)
Untitled (Brown Painting)
Albert Irvin (British, b. 1922)
Edge of Black
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Transcend
Albert Irvin (1922-2015)
Red Light
Albert Irvin (British, b. 1922)
Forerunner
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Red Abstract
Albert Irvin (b. 1922)
Copperas
Albert Irvin (b. 1922)
Star I
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Edge of the River
Albert Irvin, R.A. (b. 1922)
Druid II