Frank Bowling Foundation launches to expand Access to Art Education
The Frank Bowling Foundation launches formally on 24 June 2026 as a registered charity dedicated to expanding public access to art education and to the work of one of Britain’s most significant painters.
With a practice spanning Europe, Guyana and the US, Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA occupies a central place within transatlantic abstraction – and the Foundation will ensure his work remains widely accessible, critically studied and culturally alive for future generations.
Established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2024, the Foundation has received a major gift from the artist comprising paintings, sculpture, works on paper and an extensive archive spanning his life and career. These materials will underpin a growing programme of exhibitions, loans, research, publications and other initiatives in the UK and internationally.
With education at its core, the Foundation launches to coincide with its first public initiative: Frank Bowling: Driven to Draw at the Royal Drawing School (25 June – 22 August 2026). The exhibition, developed in collaboration with the School, offers a rare insight into Bowling's creative process and lifelong engagement with drawing.
The Foundation also formalises and extends Bowling's longstanding philanthropic commitments, which include scholarship programmes and bursaries at University of the Arts London and Hampstead School of Art; support for institutions including the Whitechapel Gallery and South London Gallery; and the recent CIRCA PIPELINE initiative, which funded art supplies for state primary schools across the UK.
Other programmes range from hands-on workshops with primary school pupils in South London to collaborations with universities, curators and researchers worldwide. One of the Foundation’s guiding convictions is that abstract painting - through colour, material and process - offers a direct and powerful mode of learning, supporting visual literacy, independent thinking and sustained engagement with art.
“This charity will support a mission that has always been close to my heart - and which has never been more important,” said Frank Bowling. “There is a wealth of creative talent out there. We must empower people, especially children, to create.”
Professor Ben Bowling, Chair of the Foundation, said: “Sir Frank Bowling’s legacy lies not only in the remarkable body of work he has created over more than six decades, but in the generations of artists, students and audiences his work continues to inspire. The Foundation has been established to preserve and extend that legacy through education, research and public engagement for years to come.”
Susi Sahmland, Head of Education and Outreach at the Foundation, said: “At the heart of our work is a belief that art education should be open, exploratory and accessible to all. Through workshops, partnerships and outreach programmes, we hope to continue Frank Bowling’s longstanding commitment to nurturing creativity, curiosity and confidence in future generations.”
Harry Parker, Director of the Royal Drawing School, said: “Frank Bowling: Driven to Draw provides a unique insight into the lifelong drawing practice of one of Britain's leading contemporary artists. We are deeply grateful to the Frank Bowling Foundation for making this level of access possible and for its commitment to education at every stage.”
Main Image: Portrait of Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA at his studio in Peacock Yard, 2025. Photo: William Waterworth.
© William Waterworth Courtesy Frank Bowling Archive.