Bridget Riley was born in London in 1931 and spent much of her childhood in Cornwall, near Padstow, living with her mother, aunt, and sister while her father served in the armed forces during World War II. From 1946 to 1948, she attended Cheltenham Ladies’ College, where teacher Colin Hayes introduced her to art history and encouraged her to attend life drawing classes.

Riley studied at Goldsmiths College of Art (1949–1952) under Sam Rabin, then continued at the Royal College of Art (1952–1955), alongside artists such as Frank Auerbach, Peter Blake, Joe Tilson, and John Bratby.

After graduating, she experienced a difficult period, caring for her injured father and later suffering a breakdown. She worked various jobs, including at the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency.

In 1959, she attended a summer school in Suffolk run by Harry Thubron, where she met mentor Maurice de Sausmarez, who would later write the first monograph on her work. A 1960 trip to Italy inspired Pink Landscape, a pivotal early work. After parting ways with Sausmarez and facing an artistic crisis, Riley began experimenting with black-and-white compositions—marking the beginning of her signature style.

Her first solo exhibition took place in 1962 at Gallery One in London. In 1968, she became the first British contemporary painter—and the first woman—to win the International Prize for Painting at the Venice Biennale.

Bridget Riley’s work is held in major collections worldwide, including the Tate (London), MoMA (New York), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), and the National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo), among others.