Artist Frank Bowling Awarded Knighthood in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Image: Frank Bowling in his South London studio, 2020, photo by Sacha Bowling, courtesy the artist

Artist Frank Bowling OBE RA has been given the honour of Knight Bachelor conferred upon him in the Birthday 2020 Honours List by Her Majesty The Queen. The Birthday Honours list recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom.

 Frank Bowling in his South London studio, 2020, photo by Sacha Bowling, courtesy the artist

During his six-decades long career, Bowling’s relentless pursuit of excellence in painting underpins a lifetime of service to British art. At age 86, he still is an active painter with an irrepressible work ethic, working in his studio almost every day.

Sir Frank says:

“I’ve set out on a quest to explore the possibilities of paint, and I find myself making something new every time. I have an insatiable determination to experiment with colour, form and process, to create new and original artworks that push the boundaries of the medium, while being intellectually grounded in post-war abstraction. The things that paint can achieve are so vast and diverse that I don’t think I’ll ever be done with it. Trained in the English art school tradition, my identity as a British artist has always been crucial to me and I have viewed London as my home since arriving in 1953 from what was then British Guiana. To be recognised for my contribution to British painting and art history with a knighthood makes me extremely proud. Friends and family have played a role in my studio since the 1960s - as a husband, father, grandfather and recently a great-grandfather, I am honoured to sit at the centre of a modern family to whom I feel much gratitude.”

Frank Bowling, Watermelon Bight, 2020, Acrylic on Canvas, 185.4 x 297.2 cm, courtesy Frank Bowling Studio, currently on display in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

 
Ben and Sacha Bowling, the artist’s sons and studio directors say:

“Often described by critics as a late modern master, in many ways, recognition has come late in our father’s career. We are delighted he is getting this distinction now for his contribution to the canon of contemporary and modern art. He has shown dedication and dogged persistence in the face of obstacles throughout his life of painting, including having to deal with stereotypical associations made between his work and origins. It requires exceptional dedication to follow one’s own unique vision for decades, for much of the time with little reward. The whole family is overjoyed at this news. We couldn’t be prouder of all that our father has achieved.”