​John Robinson was born in Worcester in 1981, where he still resides. He aims to use his ‘self-portrait’ images as a way of making himself indestructible, to make himself slip out of time, to confront the things he loves and hates and to pour time into the surfaces of the paintings. To transcend himself whilst constantly being held up against the past.
 
Robinson studied Fine Art at Falmouth College of Arts (awarded First class honours) spending most of the time whilst there skipping tutorials to travel to Plymouth to be taught by the notorious and idiosyncratic painter Robert Lenkiewicz, who ignited an interest in how to evoke colour through grey alongside wider interest in occult literature and artwork experienced in Lenkiewicz’s famed private library. Robinson was awarded the Richard Ford Scholarship by the Royal Academy of Arts and spent a summer as an artist in residence at the Prado Museum Madrid absorbing the works of Velazquez and Goya alongside the city’s nightlife. He stayed in Madrid for a further decade broken by a year at Central Saint Martins on a Masters degree in fine art. In London he developed his use of ‘the painting’ as a disguise; ‘self-portrait as (other…)’. Robinson has exhibited internationally. 
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He has won the Peter Spicer Award for Excellence in Creative Arts (First Place), Richard Ford Award for Painting, Royal Academy, London (First Place), South Square Trust Scholarship for MA study at Byam Shaw School of Art, Central Saint Martins, London, Alfa Romeo Award Art (‘Best of show nominee’) Madrid, Spain, Premio de Pintura Focus-Abengoa, Seville, Spain (Winner) and the Hauser and Wirth Prize, Hauser and Wirth Somerset UK, (First Prize). Works are held in notable collections, including the University of the Arts London permanent collection, London, UK, Nicolas & Maxinne Leslau collection, London, UK, Focus-Abengoa Foundation, Seville, Spain, Coldwell Banker, Madrid, Spain, Falmouth College of Arts Library, Falmouth UK, Museo del Ferrocarril, Madrid, Spain, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Netherlands, Wellcome Collection London UK, British Council Collection UK.
Education:
 
2003 BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Falmouth College of Arts Falmouth UK
​2008 Masters in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, London UK