David Mach RA

Born: 18 March 1956, Methil, Fife, UK
Elected RA: 21 May 1998
Category of Membership: Sculptor

David Mach studied at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee from 1974 to 1979 and subsequently at the Royal College of Art, London from 1979 to 1982. He became a part-time lecturer in the Sculpture School, Kingston University from 1982 to 1993 and he was a lecturer at the Contemporary Art Summer School, Kitakyushu, Japan from 1987 to 1991. He has been Visiting Professor at the Sculpture Department, Edinburgh College of Art since 1999 and in 2000 was appointed Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools, London.

Prof David Mach RA, Rabbit Stew Mach’s first solo exhibition was held at the Lisson Gallery, London in 1982. His international reputation was quickly established with solo and group exhibitions held in the UK and in countries throughout the world. Much of his work is commission-based, including ‘Collage Portrait of Glasgow’ (commissioned by the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow), which was unveiled in March 2002 as part of a major solo exhibition of his work at the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow.

David Mach RA, Heirs and Graces In 1988 Mach was nominated for the Turner Prize at the Tate Gallery, London, and in 1992 he won the Lord Provost’s Prize in Glasgow. He was elected Royal Academician in 1998 and lives and works in London.

VIDEO: The installation process of David Mach's 'Die Harder' (28 February-1 April 2012)

Recent solo exhibitions
2011 City Art Centre, Edinburgh
2010 The Opera Gallery, London
2007 Jill George Gallery, London
2006 Jill George Gallery, London
2004 Jill George Gallery, London
2002 Jill George Gallery, London
2001 Touring exhibition of original artwork of Portrait of Britain to 17 venues
Galerie IUFM Confluence(s), Lyons
Hugo Boss, Rome
2000 Jill George Gallery, London
Galerie Jerome de Noirmont, Paris
Installation, Kilkenny Arts Festival
1999 ‘The National Portrait’ commissioned for the Self Portrait Zone, Millennium Dome, Greenwich, London
1998 CRDC, Nantes
Ecole des Beaux Arts, Nantes
Touring exhibition of drawings, Cyprus
Center for Contemporary Art, Cincinnati
1997 Hamumche Gallery, Tel-Aviv**
Galerie Jerome de Noirmont, Paris
Jill George Gallery, London
Collage Installation, Melbourne Arts Festival
1996 Jason & Rhodes Gallery, London
Ferens Art Gallery, Kingston-upon-Hull
1995 Summerlee Museum, Coatbridge
Sunderland City Art Gallery
Ace Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles
Jill George Gallery, London
Galerie Andata/Ritorno, Geneva
1994 Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego
Musee Leon Dierx, Reunion Island
CASK, Kitakyushu, Japan
Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow
Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen
Sun Pavilion, Harrogate
Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate
1993 Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art, Warsaw
Hakone Open-Air Museum, Japan
Viafarini, Milan
Studio Casoli, Milan
Seagate Gallery, Dundee
The Gallery, Essex University, Colchester
Walsall Art Gallery, Walsall
1992 Orpheus Gallery, Belfast
Barbara Toll Fine Art, New York
Galerie Nikki Diana Marquardt, Paris
1991 Ace Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Maurice Keitelman Gallery, Brussels
University of Illinois, Chicago
It Takes Two, commissioned by Camden Arts and British Rail, Euston Square, London
1990 The Tramway, Glasgow
Art Fair, Chicago
House of Ukrainian Artists, Kiev
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh

Public collections
Aberdeen Art Gallery
Dundee Art Gallery
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Kirkcaldy Art Gallery
Mercer Gallery, Harrogate
Ferens Art Gallery, Kingston upon Hull
Tate Gallery, Liverpool
Tate Britain, London
National Portrait Gallery, London
The British Council, London
Manchester City Art Gallery
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego
Museé Leon Dierx, Reunion Island
Kawasaki City Museum, Tokyo
FRAC du Rhones-Alpes, France
Museé d’art contemporain, Dole, France
Museé d’art contemporain, Antwerp

Public commissions
1989 ‘Out of Order’, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey (commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames)
1993 ‘All Around the Houses’, (commissioned by Union de Banque Suisse for their new headquarters building in Geneva)
1994 ‘Kiss and Tell’, (second commission for Union de Banque Suisse, Geneva)*
‘Temple at Tyre’, Leith Docks, Edinburgh (commissioned by Edinburgh City Council to support their bid to be City of Architecture and Design)
1996 Installed ‘Garden Urn’, Hat Hill Sculpture Park, Goodwood
‘Urn’ (commissioned by McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Ontario, for its collection)
Installed ‘Some of the People’, Partick Underground Station, Glasgow, (commissioned to celebrate the Centenary of the Underground)*
1997 ‘It Takes Two’, Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia, for Sydney International Arts Festival
'Train’, Britain’s largest contemporary public sculpture, in Darlington, (commissioned by Darlington Council, Morrison Supermarkets and Northern Arts)
1998 Installed gargoyle sculpture (commissioned by the town of Nicosia, Cyprus)
1999 ‘Big Heids’, three sculptures sited by the M8 motorway in North Lanark, Scotland, (commissioned by North Lanark Council)
‘A National Portrait’, a 225’ x 10’ collage of Britain, (commissioned by the NMEC for the Self Portrait Zone of the Millennium Dome at Greenwich)
2000 ‘Good Guys, Bad Guys’, Vicar Lane, Chesterfield, (commissioned by Chesterfield Council)
‘Scramble’, Vicar Lane, Chesterfield, (second sculpture commissioned by Chesterfield Council)

Contact details for further information
Email membershipoffice@royalacademy.org.uk

• Royal Academy of Arts