Barry Martin the Long-time Creative Force at Chiswick House

Internationally renowned kinetic artist passes away aged 82

Barry Martin in front of his studio at The South Lodge in Chiswick House Gardens

January 5, 2026

Barry Martin, the kinetic artist, painter, sculptor, performer and chess aficionado whose restless imagination made him one of Britain’s most original creative figures, has died aged 82. He spent more than three decades as the resident artist at Chiswick House, where he worked, researched, taught and welcomed generations of visitors, actors and fellow artists into a unique studio.

He moved into the semi-derelict gate lodge at Chiswick House in 1989, taking on the lease and restoring the building with the architect Theo Crosby. What began as a practical solution for studio space soon became a defining chapter of his life. The lodge, tucked into the edge of Lord Burlington’s Palladian estate, became both a creative laboratory and a social hub — a place where ideas, drawings, kinetic experiments and conversations flowed as freely as the light through the surrounding gardens.

From this unlikely base, Barry immersed himself in the history and symbolism of Chiswick House. He became fascinated by the architectural language of the villa and its garden structures, eventually publishing research arguing that the building’s original purpose was deeply connected to Freemasonry. His interpretations were characteristically bold, imaginative and meticulously argued, reflecting the same curiosity that animated his art.

Chiswick also became the setting for some of Barry’s most memorable collaborations. A gifted portraitist, he drew a circle of actors to his studio, including Peter Egan, Ian Holm, John Alderton and Pauline Collins. He was deeply affected by the death of the latter who predeceased him by a few weeks. His self-portraits, by contrast, were theatrical and enigmatic: life-size chalk studies in which he appeared robed and symbol-laden, as though haunting the grounds as a nocturnal guardian of the estate’s secrets.

Ian Holm and Nigel Havers admiring the artist’s portrait of Ian Holm at The South Lodge

In 2014 he staged one of the most unusual artistic events ever held in the gardens: a performance with the principal choreographer and dancers of Ballet Rambert, using the garden temples as a stage for a four-part exploration of rhythm, architecture and movement. It was a quintessentially Martin project — playful, intellectual, visually striking and rooted in the landscape he knew so well.

Although his reputation extended far beyond Chiswick — from the Hayward Gallery to the Tate, from kinetic sculpture to performance art, from Studio International to the world of competitive chess — he remained deeply attached to the community around the house and its park. Local residents grew accustomed to seeing him at work, sketchbook in hand, or deep in conversation about art, architecture or the latest chess controversy. His presence became part of the fabric of the place.

Barry’s wider career was similarly eclectic. A pioneer of Kinetic Art in the 1960s and 70s, he created motorised sculptures and light works of remarkable precision, many of which still function today in major collections. He taught at Goldsmiths, Central Saint Martins, the Royal College of Art, the Slade and the Royal Academy, influencing generations of artists. His fascination with chess — shared with his hero Marcel Duchamp — led him to co-organise the Chess and Art Symposium at Tate Britain, captain the Chelsea Arts Club chess team, and serve as official artist for the 1993 World Chess Championship.

Barry Martin is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Jessie. His work remains in major museums in Britain and abroad, and his name lives on through the Barry Martin Award for Experimental Art at Central Saint Martins.