Guy Hetherington
Guy Hetherington was born in the United Kingdom in 1948. He studied History of Art at Sussex University before pursuing Fine Art at Kingston College of Art.
Hetherington’s journey into painting was neither conventional nor immediately apparent. Although he had been making small watercolour paintings since childhood, neither he nor his family considered that art might become his life’s pursuit. It was only after enrolling in a History course at Sussex University that he realised his mistake. With the support of his personal tutor, he transitioned to the study of the History and Theory of Art before securing a place at Kingston Art College. At Kingston, he was initially encouraged to follow the Industrial Design course due to his creative engagement with mechanical and scientific thinking. However, his passion led him to pursue Fine Art. After completing a four-year course, he graduated as Kingston’s top First Class Honours student. His exceptional work caught the attention of external assessor Jack Smith, who was so impressed that he offered Hetherington a teaching position as a Visiting Tutor at Chelsea College of Art. Kingston College itself also offered a Visiting Tutor position.
His early works consisted of cosmological constructions, and while painting was not yet his primary medium, he consistently attended informal life-drawing classes in the evenings. Initially, he found the experience mystifying—translating the human form into lines and tones seemed almost impossible. His breakthrough came through an unconventional medium: painting on glass. This technique required him to work in reverse, applying colours in an order opposite to what would ultimately be visible. He would not see the final result until the piece was complete. For years he adhered to this method until a pivotal moment when he chose to observe his work while in progress. This decision marked the transition to a deeper understanding of painting itself.
The technique of painting on glass had a lasting influence on his artistic approach, fostering an acute sense of spatial awareness. His images, appearing to float unsupported within the transparency of the glass, transcended the traditional notions of background and foreground. This interplay of space and form became a vital and enduring element of his work.
Beyond technique, Hetherington’s art is profoundly shaped by his fascination with the cosmos. Unlike the scientific approach that seeks to measure and define space, he perceives the universe as a realm populated by beings, stories and emotions. From childhood he was captivated by the contrasts between the celestial bodies—the sun’s grey-green afterimage, the moon’s quiet presence against the vast night sky and the paradox of their eclipses. These experiences, filled with both wonder and melancholy, found their way into his artistic exploration.
Hetherington’s work has been widely exhibited throughout the years. His group shows included Contemporary Choice, Serpentine Gallery (1982); Contemporary Art Society Market (1986); Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Art Gallery (1988); and Critics Space 5, at Air Gallery and East End Open Studios at Milborne Street (both 1989).
In addition to his studio practice, Hetherington has studios in London and Ireland. He recently established a new studio in the former home of writers Charles and Mary Lamb, while also maintaining a second studio in the Nagles Mountains in Ireland.
While he respects the empirical insights of scientific astronomy, Hetherington believes that painting offers a more personal, emotional connection to the universe. His work does not merely depict space; it inhabits it, inviting viewers to experience the cosmos as a place of feeling, mystery, and human presence.
Artist about his work:
Space is all about us, not as scientific cosmology would have us believe, as something to be filled with exploration and explanation, measurement and definition but as the “cosmos” peopled with beings and stories and feelings which are ours. As a child, I was fool enough to stare at the ball of the sun and discover the peculiar grey-green of its counter colour. I was broken-hearted at the sight of any of the moons on winter nights, only later wondering at their relationship; how can the gentle moon eclipse the sun and not the all-powerful sun eclipse the moon? Scientific Astronomy fascinates me and I respect power but it doesn’t help in all our own universes. Painting is a way which can.
Public Collections:
- Arts Council of Great Britain
- Department of the Environment
- Contemporary Arts Society
- Rugby Library
- Cobh Library, Republic of Ireland
- Simmons & Simmons, Hong Kong
List of exhibitions:
One Person Exhibitions
1976 House Gallery, London
1978 House Gallery, London
1980 House Gallery, London
1990 Judd Street Gallery, London
1991 Artist of the Day, Flowers East Gallery, London
1994 Galerie Kohler, London
1996 The Artery, London
2006 The Gallery, 77 Cowcross Street, London
2011 Lauderdale House, London
2011 Institute of Physics, London
2013 Il Cobold, Alessandria, Italy
2013 Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, County Cork, Ireland
2018 The Place, London
2019 Simmons & Simmons, London
Group Exhibitions
1973 Camden Arts Festival, London
1973 Rochdale Arts Festival, Lancashire
1978 “The Square and the Circle”, House Gallery, London
1982 “Contemporary Choice”, Serpentine Gallery, London
1985 Berry Street Open, London
1986 Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London
1986 Contemporary Arts Society Market, London
1988 Whitechapel Open Studios, London
1989 “Critics’ Space V” Air Gallery, London
1989 “Friends of Space” Air Gallery, London
1990 D.C. Space Museum, Tokyo
1991 Actors’ House, Krasnoyarsk, U.S.S.R.
1991 “Small is Beautiful IX”, Flowers East, London
1992 Artists’ Union Workshop, Ulan Bator, Mongolia
1993 “Triangles”, M & W Art, Hong Kong
1992 Knapp Gallery, Regents College, London
1993 John Jones, London
1993 “Small is Beautiful XI”, Flowers East, London
1994 “Kiss II”, Gallery K, London
1995 “Kiss III”, Gallery K, London
1996 “Kiss IV”, Gallery K, London
1998 “Small is Beautiful XVI”, Flowers East, London
1999 “Small is Beautiful XVII”, Flowers East, London
2000 Mafuji Gallery, London [2 person exhibition]
2001 “Small is Beautiful XIX”, Flowers East, London
2002 Morphi Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus [2 person exhibition]
2002 “Small is Beautiful XX”, Flowers East, London
2004 “Me … We … Are”, UMA Gallery, Ulan Bator, Mongolia
2005 International Exhibition, UMA Gallery, Ulan Bator, Mongolia
2007 “Russian Space”, Pushkin House, London [2 person exhibition]
2015 “Timelessness”, Gabriel Fine Arts, London
2025 Unity in Variety XIII, Gabriel Fine Arts, London
