David Tremlett

David Tremlett (born 1945, St Austell, Cornwall, UK) is a British artist internationally recognized for his large-scale wall drawings created directly on architectural surfaces. His work expands drawing into spatial experience, using colour and geometry to reshape how viewers perceive built environments. Originally trained as a sculptor at Birmingham School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, he began in the 1970s to apply pastel directly onto walls, moving drawing beyond paper and into architecture. In his practice, colour operates structurally rather than decoratively, organizing space and establishing a dynamic relationship between viewer and site. He has produced site-specific projects for museums, public buildings, and cultural institutions across Europe, Africa, and the United States. One of his most renowned works is the transformation of the Capella di Barolo in Italy, created in collaboration with Sol LeWitt, now regarded as a landmark example of contemporary art integrated into architecture. Shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1992, Tremlett continues to develop a body of work positioned at the intersection of drawing, sculpture, and architectural space.