Last updated: 27 October 2026
Richard Wentworth is the London sculptor and photographer who turns everyday objects, and the makeshift fixes people leave on the street, into art. Here you will find our take on his work, his current show in Banbury, and two editions you can buy from £350.
Our take on Richard Wentworth
Wentworth has been one of the main figures in British sculpture since the late 1970s, according to Lisson Gallery. He combines found and industrial objects so they lose their usual job: a chair, a bucket, a book, put to work in a new arrangement.
His camera does the same thing on the street. Since 1974 his photo series Making Do and Getting By has collected wedged doors, propped windows and other improvised fixes. “I only photograph ‘things’, and I only photograph what I encounter. I don’t go hunting,” he says in the notes to his Hepworth Wakefield edition.
Two public galleries sell signed editions, which is the easiest way to own his work.
Richard Wentworth: the essentials
- Born in Samoa in 1947; lives and works in London, according to Peter Freeman, Inc.
- Studied at the Royal College of Art (1966 to 1970) and worked for Henry Moore in 1967.
- Taught at Goldsmiths from 1971 to 1987, was Ruskin Master of Drawing at Oxford in 2002, and became head of sculpture at the Royal College of Art in 2009.
- Appointed CBE in 2011 for services to art.
- Solo shows include the Serpentine (1993), Artangel (2002), Tate Liverpool (2005), the Whitechapel Gallery (2010) and Istanbul Modern (2023).
- Represented by Lisson Gallery and Peter Freeman, Inc.
Richard Wentworth exhibitions
- On now: COINCITY, Far Far Gallery, Banbury, 3 October to 19 December 2026.
- Rearview Mirror, Prats Nogueras Blanchard, Barcelona, 19 September to 23 November 2024.
Where to buy a Richard Wentworth print
Two UK galleries sell signed editions:
- Marginalia, 2011, £350: digital print on Somerset Satin, 40 x 30 cm (15.7 x 11.8 in), edition of 160, signed and numbered, from the Whitechapel Gallery shop.
- Weights and Measures, 2019, £500: lithograph, 49.5 x 76 cm (19.5 x 29.9 in), edition of 40, signed and numbered, from The Hepworth Wakefield shop.
Richard Wentworth FAQs
What is Making Do and Getting By?
Richard Wentworth’s long-running photo series, begun in 1974, recording the improvised ways people adapt everyday things.
Can I buy a Richard Wentworth print?
Yes. The Whitechapel Gallery sells Marginalia for £350 and The Hepworth Wakefield sells Weights and Measures for £500.
Where can I see Richard Wentworth’s work now?
At Far Far Gallery in Banbury, where COINCITY runs until 19 December 2026.
Did Richard Wentworth work for Henry Moore?
Yes, in 1967, while he was a student at the Royal College of Art.
More from CoolCuration
- Henry Moore at Kew Gardens review: big sculpture from the artist Wentworth once worked for.
- Enemies and Rascals review: a recent Artangel commission in London.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting prints.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Richard Wentworth, Siege, 1983 to 1984. Image courtesy Tate. Framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 27 October 2026.
No Comments.