RICHARD ZINON
b. 1985, United StatesRichard Zinon’s gestural brushstrokes, inspired by Japanese calligraphy, evoke a raw energy. His large-scale, abstract paintings in a restricted palette of dark hues carry the artist’s emotions towards the viewer.
Early Years
Richard Zinon was born in 1985 and grew up in Little Bollington, a village just outside Manchester. His father was a blacksmith and his childhood was spent in the countryside. In 2007 he moved to Florence, studying at the Angel Academy of Art for two years and learning a classical approach to painting and drawing. He followed this by spending a year at the Academia di belle Arti di Firenze, where he studied the human figure, and at Il Bisonte, the foundation for art and printmaking. His five years in Florence concluded with a master diploma in drawing and anatomy from the city’s classical art academy. Zinon further broadened his studies with a certificate in painting from the human figure from Martin Yeoman and a certificate in traditional Japanese ceramics from Ceramic Seto.
Richard Zinon: Artworks
“I don’t want my work to represent anything specific—it’s about the feeling behind it,” Zinon said ahead of the 2025 exhibition Peut Être in London. Movement and energy—the immediacy of emotion—define his works. Zinon builds his canvases gradually, with layered oils in a muted palette. His mark-making is precise—the combination of rich-toned colours and the emotional gestures in his brushstrokes tell an emotional story in each painting. The artist’s restricted colours mean that he can explore subtle variations in light and colour.
- Composition 38 (2025) uses dark reds and browns, its sweeping brushstrokes combining with more defined lines.
- Contrast, nuance, light and shadow characterise the work Zinon made for his 2025 Peut Être exhibition. Each painting suggests possibility... the “may be” of the exhibition’s title.
- Zinon’s 2026 Milan Penombra exhibitions were split into two: the first act showed paintings that considered potentiality, using colours as if seen at night. The second tranche of paintings featured more gestural elements.
Richard Zinon: Select Exhibitions
Select Solo Exhibitions
- Act 1: Penombra and Act II: Penombra, Cadogan Gallery, Milan (2026)
- Cadogan Solo, Milan (2025)
- Peut-Être, Cadogan Gallery, London (2025)
- IX, Cadogan Gallery, Milan (2023-2024)
- Selected Works, Cadogan Gallery, London (2022)
- Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona (2022)
- Crosta Smith Gallery, London (2021)
- Studio 108, Florence (2016)
- Il Bisonte, Florence, Italy (2009)
Select Group Exhibitions
- Group Exhibition 2026, Cadogan Gallery, London (2026)
- Dallas Art Fair (2026)
- MiArt 2026, Milan (2026)
- A Group Exhibition, Cadogan Gallery, London (2024)
- Through the Walls, Cadogan Gallery, London (2023)
- Zona Maco, Mexico City (2023)
- Art Basel, Switzerland (2022)
- Group Show, Gallery B·R, Tetbury, UK (2021)
- Madrid Art Week (2021)
- Estampa, Madrid (2021)
- Art Paris (2021)
- Group Show, Bryce Gallery, Christchurch (2015)
Further Reading
- Richard Zinon’s Instagram Artist profile page at Cadogan
- 2021 interview about Zinon’s first solo exhibition from Alzueta Gallery
- 2025 interview from Visual Atelier 8
- 2024 article from Made in Shoreditch about his Peut Être exhibition
Richard Zinon FAQs
What materials and techniques does Richard Zinon use?
Richard Zinon doesn’t use preparatory sketches and often completes his large-scale oil paintings (occasionally on aged paper) in a single sitting. His colours are subtle, layered and dark, his mark-making expressive and he allows the oils on each painting to settle and dry naturally.
How important is Richard Zinon’s environment to his artistic practice?
Richard Zinon’s studio in Kerégal, Brittany, creates a calm environment that helps him to focus. Speaking in 2025, he described the landscape he experiences on his regular walks to the sea. “Everything there is simple and natural, yet everything is austere and rugged, almost wild.”
Who are Richard Zinon’s influences?
The way Zinon captures light and darkness has been compared to the way Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi portrayed chiaroscuro.
Was there a Richard Zinon painting in The Devil Wears Prada 2?
A 2026 Instagram post from Zinon suggests that yes, his work appeared in the fashion movie sequel. In the post, Zinon thanks set decorator Sandro Piccarozzi and the picture featured looks like Composition 22 (2025), although this is not confirmed in the caption.
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