Bridget Riley has created her first ceiling painting for the British School at Rome (BSR). The artist, best known for her murals and wall paintings, has created her vast new work in the BSR’s foyer, stretching across the four barrel vaults of the ceiling.
‘I would like to thank the British School at Rome for its invitation to paint the vaulting barrels of Edwin Lutyens’ beautiful ceiling,’ Riley says. ‘It was the beginning of an exhilarating visual chase. Exhilarating but not without hazard. Through many pleasurable challenges, encouraged by [chair of the BSR council] Mark Getty’s enthusiasm, I pursued this perceptual adventure and played my “colour acoustics” with great delight. Looking up, the colour of the skies offers a glimpse of nature in her most promising and serene mood.’
