Portrait by Suki Dhanda/The Observer
'Frank Bowling, 91, one of the UK’s most revered artists, is renowned for his luminous abstractions that span continents, histories and decades. A Royal Academician and recipient of a knighthood in 2020, he was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) and has spent more than 60 years experimenting with colour, material and form, from his iconic “map paintings” to his cascading “poured” works. A major showing of Bowling’s work will take place at this year’s Bienal de São Paulo – his first exhibition in South America, the continent of his birth. Featuring works from the 1960s to today, the show traces a lifelong inquiry into memory, movement and the expressive potential of paint.'
August 7, 2025