RALPH RUMNEY (BRITISH, 1934-2002)
Untitled
signed with initials and dated '23.i.84/R.R' (lower centre)
collage on board
72 x 41 cm. (28 3/8 x 16 1/8 in.)

Provenance
The artist, by whom gifted to the present owners in 1984

Exhibited
London, England & Co, Ralph Rumney-Constats:1950-1988, March 1989, cat.no.11i

Ralph Rumney was an English artist associated with the Situationist International (SI), a radical artistic and political movement founded in 1957. Rumney played a significant role in the early years of the SI but eventually left the group in 1958. He is often referred to as the "missing member" of the Situationist International.

Rumney's artistic practice encompassed various mediums, including painting, collage, and photography. He was known for his exploration of the urban environment, psychogeography, and the idea of the dérive (drift), which involved aimless wandering through urban spaces to subvert the traditional notions of urban planning and experience.

The artist was closely linked with Tachism, an artistic movement that emerged in Europe in the 1940s and reached its peak in the 1950s and 1960s.

Tachism is characterized by its emphasis on spontaneous, gestural, and intuitive mark-making. The term "Tachism" is derived from the French word "tache," meaning stain or blot. Artists associated with this movement sought to express their emotions and inner experiences through dynamic brushwork, rapid strokes, and a liberated use of colour.

Tachist paintings often feature abstract, non-representational compositions characterized by their energy, expressiveness, and a sense of movement. The artists embraced chance, spontaneity, and the element of the unexpected, allowing the subconscious mind to guide their artistic process.

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