“The essence of painting is not representation, but the creation of a new reality through form and structure.” — Victor Pasmore
Victor Pasmore was born in 1908 in Chelsham, Surrey, England. He initially trained and worked as an architect before turning seriously to painting in the 1930s. His early work was rooted in a lyrical figurative style, influenced by artists such as William Coldstream and the Euston Road School, with a focus on observational painting and everyday life.
Following the Second World War, Pasmore underwent a radical shift in his practice. Influenced by European modernists including Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian, he began to explore abstraction as a means of expressing universal principles of order, balance and rhythm. By the late 1940s, he had abandoned representation entirely, becoming one of the first British artists to fully embrace abstract art.
Pasmore’s work from this period includes abstract paintings, collages, relief constructions and prints, often characterised by geometric forms, subtle colour relationships and a strong sense of spatial organisation. His approach was both intellectual and poetic, seeking to create works that were self-contained visual experiences rather than depictions of the external world.
Alongside his artistic practice, Pasmore was a highly influential educator. As Head of Painting at the Central School of Art in London and later at Durham University’s King’s College (now Newcastle University), he played a key role in shaping a new generation of artists. He was instrumental in redefining art education, placing abstraction and modernist principles at its core.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Pasmore extended his ideas into architecture and urban planning, most notably through his involvement in the Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee, County Durham — a modernist public structure that reflected his belief in the integration of art and everyday life.
Pasmore’s work was widely exhibited internationally, including representing Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1960. Over time, his reputation has continued to grow, and he is now regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of British abstraction.
He died in 1998 in Gudja, Malta, where he had lived and worked for many years.