Paul catherall artist biography

Spring 2008

Paul Catherall’s architectural linocuts are rapidly becoming stars in the firmament of great British design. Art historian Clare Barry looks at the artist’s career to date.

On the Tube, years ago, I saw a London Underground poster promoting the opening of Tate Modern, a striking design that immediately demanded my attention.

The image, a linocut by Paul Catherall, was the first of many commissioned by Transport for London and his recent poster series of seasonal cityscapes are amongst their most popular and best-selling to date. Catherall has rapidly become one of the most exciting artists working in lino today.

Paul Catherall does not come from a conventional printmaking background.

Having studied Illustration, he does not consider himself a printmaker in any strict sense as he is not ‘a specialist in every area’, but the route leading him into linocutting has been crucial to his distinctive style.

After studying at Leicester in the late 1980s