I had no idea who Frank Bowling, now Sir Frank Bowling, was when I went to see a retrospective of his work at Tate Britain in 2019 but I soon perked up when I saw the colours he discovered. I love the idea of a young Guyanese man coming to London to become a poet and artist, going to art school with David Hockney and then becoming a celebrated artist with studios in London and New York who is still painting and creating today. But I'd never heard of him.
I saw many of his paintings in the retrospective exhibition but the one that stays with me is 'Orange Balloon (4 Paul Adams)'. Paul Adams was the first black player on the South African cricket team after apartheid and this is a tribute to him. I wonder what he thought of the painting. The painting is over 6' tall so is a big piece.
Sir Frank clearly loves his colours, his abstract expressionism and his acrylic paints. He still paints at the age of 87 and his grandchildren help to deliver his vision by manipulating the paints on his behalf, just as Matisse had assistants to help with his cut-outs.
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