Last updated: 27 October 2026
Michael Landy is the London artist who destroyed every one of his 7,227 possessions in a former Oxford Street department store in 2001. Here you will find our take on his work and where it has been shown.
Our take on Michael Landy
For Break Down, an Artangel commission from 10 to 24 February 2001, Landy listed everything he owned, 7,227 items, and had a team of operatives destroy it on a factory line in an empty Oxford Street store. “I see this as the ultimate consumer choice,” he said.
He was a Goldsmiths student who showed in Freeze in 1988, according to Tate, and he was elected a Royal Academician in May 2008.
In 2004 he built Semi-detached, a full-scale model of his parents’ house, in Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries. We found no current show.
Michael Landy: the essentials
- Born in London in 1963, where he still lives and works.
- Studied at Goldsmiths and showed in Freeze (1988).
- Break Down (2001), for Artangel, destroyed all 7,227 of his possessions.
- Semi-detached, Tate Britain, 18 May to 12 December 2004.
- Elected a Royal Academician in 2008; Tate lists him as Michael Landy CBE RA.
Michael Landy exhibitions
- Joyous Machines: Michael Landy and Jean Tinguely, Tate Liverpool, 2 October 2009 to 10 January 2010.
- Semi-detached, Tate Britain, 18 May to 12 December 2004.
- Break Down, Artangel, Oxford Street, London, 10 to 24 February 2001.
- We found no current or announced show in the sources we checked.
Michael Landy FAQs
What was Michael Landy’s Break Down?
A 2001 Artangel project in which he destroyed all 7,227 of his possessions on a factory line in an Oxford Street store.
Was Michael Landy in Freeze?
Yes. He showed in Freeze in 1988 as a Goldsmiths student.
Is Michael Landy a Royal Academician?
Yes. He was elected in May 2008.
When was Michael Landy born?
In London in 1963.
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Main image: Michael Landy, Credit Card Destroying Machine, 2010. Image courtesy Tate. Framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 27 October 2026.
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