Andrew Lambirth

Richard Deacon – from Meccano into art

Richard Deacon's new show at Tate Britain will appeal to single men of a certain age, while Richard Hamilton's latest Tate Modern retrospective might not appeal to anyone

Fold’, 2012, by Richard Deacon [Getty Images/Shutterstock/iStock/Alamy] 
issue 15 March 2014

When I visited the Richard Deacon exhibition at Tate Millbank, there were quite a lot of single men of a certain age studying the exhibits with rapt attention — some even making notes. (I realise I’ve just described myself…) This is perhaps because the show is all about the glories of construction, and reminiscent of hobbies on an industrial scale.

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