John Mitchell 'Palladium a:d' 2001 Ink on Paper

John Mitchell (1942-2014)

Palladium a:d, 2001

Ink on paper
Signed on reverse
Framed

British abstract artist John Mitchell spent much of his career exploring the relationship between mathematics, geometry and art. His work was concerned with how a simple set of rules could generate an almost endless series of variations, an approach that became central to his painting and sculpture.

Born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, Mitchell studied at Kingston College of Art before embarking on a distinguished career as both an artist and teacher. He taught at Coventry and Stourbridge Colleges of Art, later becoming Course Director of Fine Art at Birmingham Polytechnic. In 1978 he was appointed Gregory Fellow in Painting at the University of Leeds, becoming the last artist to hold the prestigious fellowship.

His first solo exhibition was held at Camden Arts Centre in 1972. Further exhibitions followed at the Serpentine Gallery in London and Galerie Swart in Amsterdam, where he exhibited repeatedly.

What I find particularly interesting about Mitchell is his fascination with the Fibonacci sequence, the mathematical progression in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers. He began incorporating these proportional relationships into his work during the 1960s, using mathematical systems as a starting point for exploring form, colour and space.

He also drew inspiration from an unexpected source: Samuel Beckett’s novel Molloy. A passage describing four different ways of wearing a shirt encouraged Mitchell to consider how many variations could be developed from a single idea. He would repeatedly ask himself questions about changing an object’s proportions, orientation or relationship to the surrounding space.

This work, Palladium a:d, dates from June 2001 and belongs to his later period of geometric abstraction. The composition brings together a dark central form and a pale green arrangement of stepped shapes. Small openings and subtle irregularities interrupt the apparent symmetry, creating an interesting tension between mathematical order and visual perception.

Mitchell eventually settled in Cornwall, working from his home and studio overlooking Newlyn Harbour. His work continued to explore the possibilities of geometric abstraction throughout his life, moving between painting, drawing and sculpture.

In August 2026, Lay’s Auctioneers held a dedicated sale of his personal collection and studio, bringing together decades of work and offering a fascinating insight into the consistency and development of his artistic ideas.

An original work on paper from Mitchell’s Palladium series, dated June 2001 and signed on the reverse.