About Robert West

Robert West is a contemporary artist based on the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin, where he has worked from his home studio since 1998. Originally from the UK, he studied Fine Arts at Leeds Metropolitan University and later completed a Master’s degree in Fine Art Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts in London.

Since moving to New Zealand in 1996, Robert has exhibited paintings, prints and mixed-media works throughout the country. He has been recognised as a finalist in The Arts House Art Awards and the Parkin Drawing Prize on multiple occasions.

His practice explores communication, connection and the ways people classify and organise the world around them. His work also creates space for reflection and pause amid the pace of modern life and the constant flow of information.

Influenced by mid-century modernist artists Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee and Ben Nicholson, Robert combines simplicity, geometry and subtle humour. His printmaking background shapes the construction and visual language of his paintings and collage works, while literature and poetry remain enduring sources of inspiration. Work titles often reference his favourite writers and artists.

“I do not think I am slowing down time, but I am demanding people’s time. In a busy world that is a big demand, but one of the reasons why art matters is its ability to stop the rush.”- Tacita Dean, filmmaker

“The contemporaneity of presence in the moment and remoteness from the world is the place of art.”- Karl Ōve Knausgaard, writer

Browse Robert West’s available works below, or enquire about a piece.