Guggi

Guggi (born Derek Rowen) is an Irish artist, painter and sculptor, once a member of the post-punk band Virgin Prunes alongside his close friend Gavin Friday.

Guggi was born in Dublin in 1959. He is one of 10 children. He grew up with and remains best friends with U2's Bono. He continued to paint throughout his years in the Virgin Prunes, and parted company with them in 1984 to dedicate himself solely to painting, and later sculpture, which he first exhibited in the Shafrazi Gallery in New York in 2001.

Since the early 1990s, Guggi's work has continued to explore the depiction of common everyday objects. With a focus on repetition and abstraction, Guggi's signature motifs of bowls and other vessels are transformed and freed of their context often articulated with a deceptive simplicity that heightens their stillness and meditative presence.

Guggi has exhibited widely since the 1990's. Most recently he has had solo exhibitions in the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris (2022), Galerie 75  Faubourg/Galerie Enrico Navarra (2021), Kerlin Gallery (2019), Galerie Yoshii Tokyo (2019), Arcane Space LA (2019) Château la Coste, Le Puy-Sainte-Reparade (2018), the Yoshii Gallery, Paris (2017) and New York (2016); Kerlin Gallery, Dublin (2013, 2009, 1993, 1990); Accademia Fine Art, Monaco (2012); BePalermitano, Buenos Aires (2012); Freies Museum, Berlin (2011); John Rocha, London (2010); Yoshii Gallery, New York, (2010); Solomon Gallery, Dublin (2005, 2002, 2000); Osborne Samuel Gallery, London (2004) and Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York (2001).

Select group shows are National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (2008); Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2004); Cape Town, South Africa (2004) and the National Municipal Gallery, Iceland (1995).

Guggi’s work is held in the public collections of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Château La Coste, Le Puy Sainte Réparade, France and Akureyri Municipal Art Gallery, Iceland, Embassy Gardens, London and Buyuk Efes Izmir Sculpture Park, Izmir, Turkey.

Guggi is the older brother of Peter Rowen, a photographer who as a child appeared on many of U2's release covers, and Jonny Rowen, a musician. Another brother, Trevor (Strongman), played bass in the Virgin Prunes.

Guggi has five sons, the eldest with his first partner and four with his ex-wife Sybille. He lives in Killiney with his partner Gabriella Janni.