Born in Guyana in 1936, Frank Bowling arrived in Britain in his late teens and studied painting at the Royal College of Art alongside David Hockney. Since he started painting in the late 1950s, Bowling has pursued a relentless exploration of the properties and possibilities of paint, experimenting with stitching, staining, pouring, and dripping. Ambitious in scale, Bowling’s work is described in terms of its colorful and luminous quality, and the energetic application or accrual of paint. Figuration, abstract elements, and popular and autobiographical references can also be found in his paintings. Bowling also demonstrates an interest in social and political imagery. Accompanying the first large-scale exhibition to address Bowling’s entire oeuvre, this publication explores an extraordinary international career spanning 60 years.
