Biography
One of the most respected and influential of British artists of the twentieth century, Patrick Heron was born in Leeds in 1920 but spent much of his life in London and then Cornwall, where many of his most influential works were created. It was in St. Ives, Cornwall, that Patrick was to meet and befriend Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, amongst other contemporaries of that era, becoming part of what was to become regarded as one of the most inventive and influential British “collectives” of the last century.
At aged seventeen, Patrick Heron secured a part time position at the Slade School of Art, a positioned spurred from his fascination with painting following an early visit to the National Gallery in London, where he was astounded and influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne.
His first solo exhibition was at the Redfern Gallery, London in 1947; at the same time Patrick began working on a series of portraits of T.S.Elliot, the final one being purchased some years later by the National Portrait Gallery.
Patrick Heron’s reputation spread and in 1960 his first solo exhibition in the US was held, at the critically regarded Bertha Schaefer Gallery, New York. Throughout this time, and beyond, Patrick Heron became a highly regarded writer and lecturer on art, delivering several prestigious lectures both within the UK and beyond.
Patrick was offered and declined both a Knighthood and membership of the Royal Academy of Arts. He died, still painting until the end, aged 79 in March 1999. Several retrospective exhibitions of his work have been held, including a major show at the Tate Britain in 1998. Work by Patrick is held in numerous national and international public and private collections, including the Tate and National Portrait Gallery.