Biography
Born in 1926, Tom McGuinness was to become one of the "Bevan Boys" during the Second World War, working in the coal mines as a vital part of the war effort, keeping both industry and communities across the UK functioning.
Along with his contemporary, Norman Cornish, Tom McGuinness was a "graduate" of the Spennymoor Settlement, a mid-century arts centre designed to provide and encourage a greater understanding and involvement of the arts within the County Durham mining community. Tom McGuinness also studied at Darlington School of Art and became, through self education, immensely knowledgeable about art history and the works of other artists throughout the centuries.
Tom's style was very much his own; distinctive, engaging and innovative, his work is instantly recognisable and captivating, often depicting the reality of life working the coal seams; the oppression and the claustraphobia as well as life above the pit; the life he lived and in which he painted for over six decades.
Tom died in 2006 aged seventy nine, leaving a unique artistic legacy, one we believe will continue to increase in importance and merit as the years flow on.