Dr Matt Retallick
Senior Lecturer, Art History and Curating
Dr. Matt Retallick is an art historian and curator whose work is broadly situated within the field of modernism. As Senior Lecturer in Art History and Curating at Manchester School of Art, his research focuses on transitional moments and slippages between artists, movements, and ideologies. He is particularly interested in reframing canonical art historical narratives by drawing attention to the hidden, overlooked, or lesser known. His expertise includes St Ives and Cornish modernism, British, Irish and German contexts. His doctoral research represents the first in-depth scholarly study of the German-Cornish painter Karl Weschke (19252005).
Alongside his academic practice, Matt has held curatorial roles at a range of public and commercial cultural institutions. In 2023, he was appointed Curating Subject Lead at Manchester School of Art.
Research Supervision:
Matt welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students with interests in the following or related areas:
Modernisms and Visual Culture:
St Ives and Cornish modernism.
British, Irish, and German modernism.
Anglo-German modernism.
German art (1920s1990s).
Art and subculture in divided Berlin (19611989).
The Austrian / Viennese avant-garde.
Curating:
Contemporary curating practices.
Curatorial histories.
Exhibition studies.
Qualifications:
PhD Art History, Manchester Metropolitan University (2023).
MA Social Sculpture, Oxford Brookes University (2014).
BA (Hons) Curation, Central Saint Martins (2009).
Professional Activities:
Matt is a member of several professional networks and organisations, including:
Visual Culture Research Group (MMU).
Association for Art History.
International Council of Museums (ICOM).
British Art Network (Tate / Paul Mellon / Yale).
British Academy Early Career Research Network.
Co-lead of the Anglo-German Research Group.
He is also an honorary lifetime member of the Modernist Society (UK) and writes regularly for publications including Art UK. In 2023, he was appointed a trustee of The Royal Standard in Liverpool, home to the citys largest artist community, and the Penwith Gallery in St Ives, home to the Penwith Society of Arts in Cornwall.
Research
Exhibitions
Retallick, M., 2025. Felicity Mara: Before Summer Rain, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 4/7/2025 - 6/8/2025.
Retallick, M., 2025. Isaac Andrews: Love Letters, Noho Galleries, London, 1/5/2025 - 5/5/2025.
Retallick, M., 2025. Jack Eden: WALL WORK, Noordereiland, Rotterdam, 12/4/2025 - 21/6/2025.
Retallick, M., 2025. Longya: Exploring and Uncommon Place, Tremenheere Gallery, Cornwall, 29/3/2025 - 21/4/2025.
Retallick, M., 2024. Alastair & Fleur Mackie: Selected Works, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 8/11/2024 - 7/12/2024.
Retallick, M., 2024. Apparatus: Matthew Smith & Jason Tessier, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 18/5/2024 - 22/6/2024.
Retallick, M., 2024. Jethro Jackson: Unearthing, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 2/8/2024 - 15/9/2024.
Retallick, M., 2024. Kaleidoscope: an exhibition of contemporary art from Cornwall, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 23/3/2024 - 7/5/2024.
Retallick, M., 2024. Presence: an exhibition of figurative works on paper, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 28/6/2024 - 29/7/2024.
Retallick, M., 2024. Spencer Shakespeare: Pink Moon, Projects Twenty Two, Rock, 20/9/2024 - 2/11/2024.
Retallick, M., 2022. Ghostlines: Mads Floor Andersen & Cara Davies, PINK, Manchester, 30/5/2022 - 5/6/2022.
Retallick, M., 2022. Kevin Hunt: (lowkey), KARST, Plymouth, 30/6/2022 - 27/8/2022.
Retallick, M., 2022. Summer Show, Belgrave St Ives, 6/8/2022 - 31/8/2022.
Retallick, M., Hemelryk, C., 2021. Irish modernisms: legacies of modernism in the north, CCA Derry-Londonderry, 29/5/2021 - 18/9/2021.
Retallick, M., 2019. Liam Fallon: Supersymmetry, The Turnpike, 26/7/2019 - 7/9/2019.
Books
Retallick, M., 2025. 'Jonathan Michael Ray: Field Work', Bo Lee and Workman.
Retallick, M., Bassett, S., 2024. 'Samuel Bassett: The Birds', HEA.
Retallick, M., Madner, S., 2020. 'St Ives Modernism', The Modernist Society.
Book Chapters
Retallick, M., 2025. 'Irish artists in West Cornwall'. In Barber, F., Cullen, F. (eds.) The Routledge Companion to Irish Art, 11, Routledge.
Retallick, M., 2025. 'The Saint Peter's Loft School of Art'. In Karl Weschke and Cornwall's Lost Modernism, Ridinghouse.
Internet Publications
Retallick, M., 2024. 'Bernard Meadows: post-war fear, the human figure and the shadow of Henry Moore', https://artuk.org/discover/stories/bernard-meadows-post-war-fear-the-human-figure-and-the-shadow-of-henry-moore.
Retallick, M., 2021. 'From Germany to Cornwall: the life of painter Karl Weschke', https://artuk.org/discover/stories/from-germany-to-cornwall-the-life-of-painter-karl-weschke.
Journal Articles
Retallick, M., 2025. 'The London Entombments of Eric Gill', Visual Culture in Britain.
Non-Peer Reviewed Articles
Retallick, M., 2021. 'Cornishware: Cleanliness in design for the modern home', The Modernist, 38.
Retallick, M., 2021. 'Michel Majerus: if we are dead, so it is', Goblin Magazine, 3.
Conference Papers
Retallick, M., 2025. 'Cornwall's Creative Economies', Colquhoun's Cornish Context, The Institute of Cornish Studies, Falmouth University, 30/4/2025 - 30/4/2025.
Retallick, M., 2024. 'From Germany to Cornwall: the Painter Karl Weschke and his denazification in Post-War Britain', University of Essex, Colchester.
Retallick, M., 2023. 'Karl Weschke', Porthmeor Studios, St Ives.
Retallick, M., 2023. 'Saint Peter's Loft', Penwith Gallery, St Ives.