‘No painting should reveal all it has to say as a kind of instant impact. Abstract painting, that is painting that is not about subject matter, if it is any good should be as diverse, and complex, and strange and unaccountable and unnameable as an experience, as any painting of any consequence has been in the past.‘
Robyn Denny, ISIS art journal interview,1964

Robyn Denny emerged as a pivotal figure among a group of young artists who catalysed a transformative wave in British art in the late 1950s, propelling it onto the international stage. In stark contrast to previous generations of British art students who had looked almost exclusively toward European art, this bright new generation instead found its muse in the vitality of American art and culture.

Denny's direct encounter with American Abstract Expressionism transpired at the Tate exhibition Modern Art in the United States in 1956, leaving an indelible impact on him through the grand scale and dynamic energy of the showcased paintings. A subsequent sojourn to Venice in 1958 further expanded Denny's appreciation for the significance of scale, as encounters with Rothko's works at the Biennale and Tintoretto's frescoes at the Scuola di San Rocco underscored the transformative power of physicality in art. This revelation prompted a profound reassessment of spatial dimensions and a renewed contemplation of the viewer's relationship with the urban environment.

In a landmark collaboration in 1959, Denny, alongside Richard Smith and Ralph Rumney, orchestrated the groundbreaking exhibition "Place" at the Institute of Contemporary Arts during the Autumn. This seminal show featured paintings by all three artists directly positioned on the floor, devoid of frames and ingeniously bolted together to form two parallel zigzags resembling a maze. Robyn Denny emerged as a pivotal figure among a group of young artists who catalysed a transformative wave in British art in the late 1950s, propelling it onto the international stage. In stark contrast to previous generations of British art students who had looked almost exclusively toward European art, this bright new generation instead found its muse in the vitality of American art and culture.

Denny's direct encounter with American Abstract Expressionism transpired at the Tate exhibition Modern Art in the United States in 1956, leaving an indelible impact on him through the grand scale and dynamic energy of the showcased paintings. A subsequent sojourn to Venice in 1958 further expanded Denny's appreciation for the significance of scale, as encounters with Rothko's works at the Biennale and Tintoretto's frescoes at the Scuola di San Rocco underscored the transformative power of physicality in art. This revelation prompted a profound reassessment of spatial dimensions and a renewed contemplation of the viewer's relationship with the urban environment.

In a landmark collaboration in 1959, Denny, alongside Richard Smith and Ralph Rumney, orchestrated the groundbreaking exhibition "Place" at the Institute of Contemporary Arts during the Autumn. This seminal show featured paintings by all three artists, including twelve by Denny, directly positioned on the floor, devoid of frames and ingeniously bolted together to form two parallel zigzags resembling a maze. The exhibition aimed to encapsulate the complexities of a city environment, neccistating the viewers close encounter with the painted surface and inviting them to navigate the maze. In doing so the viewer’s transcended their role from mere spectators to active participants. This immersive encounter served as a metaphor for the intricate dynamics of city life.

Denny's seemingly uncomplicated canvases exhibited at Place, characterized by a horizontal band at their base, mirrored the zeitgeist of the era. Place is now widely acknowledged as a watershed moment in the British art scene, foreshadowing the immersive art experiences and avant-garde 'happenings' that would characterise the 1960s.