Melinda Matyas
Melinda Matyas (b. 1976) is a Hungarian-British painter based in London. Raised in Transylvania surrounded by the region's rich history and traditions, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (2006–2009), studying under Marius Bercea within the influential Cluj School contemporary art scene. Alongside and prior to her formal academic training, Melinda spent over a decade mastering the demanding, classical technique of fresco painting, working in thirteen historic churches throughout Transylvania.
Together, these intensive years of practical and academic discipline gifted her a profound, foundational understanding of form, spatial composition, and visual storytelling. Today, she focuses entirely on her own fine art practice, trading traditional constraints for a deeply personal exploration of psychology, emotion, and the subtle experiences that shape the human interior.
Colour harmony and the deconstruction of forms are the core pillars of her studio practice. Painting primarily in oils, Melinda brings the distinctive qualities and luminous clarity that fresco holds into a contemporary language.
By fragmenting forms, her work creates a subtle tension between figuration and abstraction. Through this balance, she bridges the gap between the external and internal world, anchoring the viewer in a quiet, profound space of psychological self-recognition.
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Sirocco -
The Hermetic Veil
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The Keeper
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Until The Field Is Quiet Again
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Before The Dough Rises
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Into The Thicket
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The Borrowed Shade of The Lemon Tree
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Dreamscape
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Rust Reserved
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Sun Followers Sold
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Buttermilk Sold
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Passing Moments
Melinda Matyas & Carole Rafferty October 16 - November 14, 2026Studio Shop Gallery presents Passing Moments , a two-person exhibition featuring new figurative paintings by London-based artist Melinda Matyas and California-based artist Carole Rafferty. Opening October 16, 2026, the exhibition...Read more -
First Look
January 17 - February 4, 2026As days lengthen and rhythms settle, our homes often become the first place where that sense of intention takes shape, through the art we live with and return to daily....Read more -
Art Miami
December 2 - 7, 2025Studio Shop Gallery is thrilled to be participating in this year’s edition of Art Miami. As Miami’s original and longest-running contemporary art fair—and the second most attended fair worldwide—Art Miami...Read more -
Holiday Open House 2025
December 1 - 31, 2025As another year comes to a close, Studio Shop Gallery fills its walls with work that brings wonder, connection, and a touch of holiday magic. This year's exhibition features a...Read more
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110th Anniversary
September 1 - 30, 2025Studio Shop Gallery is thrilled to invite you to celebrate our 110th anniversary! As Burlingame's oldest retail business and one of California's longest-standing art galleries, we're marking this incredible milestone...Read more -
Holiday Open House
Celebrate the Season with Art! November 22 - December 31, 2024holiday exhibition, holiday gifts, art gifts, art, christmas, joyRead more -
SELF-ish
A Figurative Group Show September 13 - October 5, 2024Studio Shop Gallery is pleased to present 'SELF-ish: An Exploration of Identity,' a compelling group exhibition featuring the works of new gallery artists Melinda Matyas, Darcy J. Sears, and Steven...Read more
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026 Passing Moments, Studio Shop Gallery, Burlingame, CA
2024 SELF-ish, Studio Shop Gallery, Burlingame, CA
2023 Show by SOTA, LAB E20, London
2022 The Certainty of Strangeness, Bermondsey Project Space, London
2019 Dance of stillness, Stash Gallery, London
2019 The Zone, Asylum Chapel, London
2018 Reality Dysmorphia (The last man), Crypt Gallery, London
2018 Being allowed to look, Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester
2018 Bils & Rye Gallery, Kirkbymoorside, York
2018 The Other Art Fair by Saatchi Art, London
2018 Labyrinths, Hundred Years Gallery, London
2017 Greetings from a dead man, Safehouse 1&2, London
2017 Anniversary, Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester
2017 The Portico Library, Manchester
2016 ONE, Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester
2016 Lacey Contemporary, London
2015 USEUM, Le Dame Gallery, London
2014 Liminality, Art Meets Fashion, Salt Lake City, USA
2014 Contemporary Painting, Art Gallery AFK, Lisbon, Portugal
2014 Mad about Art, Rowan Arts, London
2014 Painting500, Candid Art Trust, London
2013 Best Works- Touring exhibition, Czech Centre, Budapest, Hungary
2013 Best works- Touring Exhibition, Centrum Bavaria Bohemia, Schonsee, Germany
2013 Best Works- Touring Exhibition, Gallery of Szombathely, Szombathely, Hungary
2012 Woman About, MDSM –Auschwitz, Poland
2012 International Biennial of Drawing, Zapadoceske Muzeum, Pilsen, Czech Republic
2012 International Biennial of Socio-Political Poster, Auschwitz, Poland
2012 International Biennial of Miniature Art, Czestochowa, Poland
2011 Ex-Position, Solo Exhibition, Huedin, Romania
2009 Expo Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
PUBLIC WORK
(1999-2012) Fresco Mural Painting of 13 churches of Transylvania, Romania, executed in Neo Byzantine Style.
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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2023 More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux, by John Seed (author), Nicholas Wilton (foreword)
2018 Office et Culture, Singulart- Coups de coeur numeriques
2017 Art Maze Mag
2016 Jung Katz, Interview with painter Melinda Matyas
2015 Mildred magazine, Art's Sake
2014 One to Watch, by Saatchi Art
2013 Juxtapose Magazine, Melinda Matyas and the painted form
2012 Ignant, Melinda Matyas by Caroline Kurze
2011 Artists Network Magazine, Palette knife in hand