Peter Sedgley

Peter Sedgley was a British artist, born in London in 1930, whose pioneering career was defined by his innovations in the Op art and Kinetic art movements. A self-taught artist, his path was far from conventional; he initially trained in architecture and spent time in the RAF before leaving to pursue his artistic vision full-time in 1963. He was heavily influenced by his close contemporary, Bridget Riley, whom he met in 1961, and together they would profoundly shape the British art scene of the 1960s.

Sedgley’s art was a relentless pursuit of the perceptual effects of light, color, and movement. Early on, his Op art paintings used geometric forms and bright colors to create dazzling optical illusions. As his career progressed, he pushed his experiments further, incorporating electric light into his work by 1967. He developed inventions such as "video-rotors," which were painted rotating discs that interacted with electronically programmed light patterns to create dynamic visual experiences. This culminated in large-scale kinetic installations that combined light and sound, with some later works using solar power and dichroic glass to create shifting, interactive displays.

Beyond his artwork, Sedgley's commitment to the artistic community left a lasting legacy. In 1968, alongside Bridget Riley and Peter Townsend, he co-founded SPACE (Space Provision Artistic Cultural and Educational). This organization transformed derelict warehouses into affordable studios for artists and remains London's oldest studio provider. He also helped establish the Artist Information Registry (AIR), an effort to give artists more control over their careers by directly connecting them with buyers and exhibitors.

His work received international acclaim throughout his career. It was featured in the seminal 1964 Op art exhibition, The Responsive Eye, at New York's Museum of Modern Art, and he won a prize at the Tokyo Biennale the following year. In 1971, he moved to West Berlin, where he continued to develop his light and kinetic works, often collaborating with composers. A retrospective at The Redfern Gallery in London celebrated his five-decade career shortly before his passing early in 2025 at the age of 94.

Study for Rhythms - Peter Sedgley

Study for Rhythms - Peter Sedgley

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