Denzil Forrester (born 1956) is a

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

-born artist who moved to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

as a child in 1967.Niru Ratnam
"Denzil Forrester"
in

Alison Donnell Alison Donnell is an academic, originally from the United Kingdom. She is currently Professor of Modern Literatures in English and Head of School of Humanities at the University of Bristol. Donnell was previously Professor of Modern Literatures ...

(ed.), ''Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture'', Routledge, 2002, p. 117. Previously based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he was a lecturer at

Morley College Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the ...

, he moved to

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, in 2016.Joshua Surtees
"Artist Denzil Forrester: 'When I tell people I’ve moved to Cornwall they say, "Why, there are no black people there!""
(interview), ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', 12 May 2018.

Biography

Born in 1956 in Grenada in the Caribbean, Denzil Forrester moved to

when he was aged 10., Denzil Forrester website. He attended the Central School of Art, earning a BA degree, and was one of only a few Black artists to gain an MA in Fine Art (Painting) at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

in the early 1980s.Eddie Chambers
''Black Artists in British Art: A History Since the 1950s''
I.B. Tauris, 2014, p. 80. Since then, his work has been widely shown in many exhibitions. In 1982, he was included in the

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

for the first time with his works "Winston Rose" and "Winston Rose 2" – portraying his friend who had been killed in a police van – and the following year his piece "Dub Charge" was also shown there. In 1983, he won the Rome Scholarship, and subsequently received a Harkness Scholarship that enabled him to spend 18 months in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(1986–88). He has also been the recipient of two major awards at the Royal Academy Summer Show,"Press release: Quad"
The Gallery in Cork Street. including in 1987 the Korn/Ferry International Award. His paintings are in the collections of Freshfields, the

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

, the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, the Walker Collection,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, as well as the Government Art Collection. Notable exhibitions in which Forrester has participated include ''From Two Worlds'', at the

Whitechapel Art Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...

in 1986, and ''Dub Transition: A Decade of Paintings 1980–1990'' (1990)."Denzil Forrester"
Diaspora Artists. In 1995, he organised and curated ''The Caribbean Connection'', exhibitions and cultural exchanges around the work of Caribbean artists."The Caribbean Connection"
Diaspora Artists. The exhibition was held from 15 September to 13 October 1995 at the Islington Arts Factory (where Forrester's studio was located) featured

Ronald Moody Ronald Moody (12 August 1900 – 6 February 1984) was a Jamaican-born sculptor, specialising in wood carvings. His work features in collections including the National Portrait Gallery, London, National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain in Londo ...

(from

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Aubrey Williams Aubrey Williams (8 May 1926 – 27 April 1990) was a Guyanese artist. He was best known for his large, oil-on-canvas paintings, which combine elements of abstract expressionism with forms, images and symbols inspired by the pre-Columbian art o ...

(

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Frank Bowling Sir Richard Sheridan Patrick Michael Aloysius Franklin Bowling ''('' Richard Sheridan Franklin Bowling; born 26 February 1934), known as Frank Bowling, is a British artist who was born in British Guiana. He is particularly renowned for his larg ...

(Guyana), John Lyons (

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

) and Bill Ming (

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

), with the catalogue providing a "Historical Background Sketch" by John La Rose and

Errol Lloyd Errol Lloyd (born 1943)"Errol Lloyd. Born 1943 in Jamaica"

. Forrester's 2018 exhibition, ''From Trench Town to Porthowan'', at the Jackson Foundation Gallery in Cornwall from 26 May to 23 June that year, was a retrospective curated by
Peter Doig Peter Doig ( ; born 17 April 1959) is a painter of Scottish nationality who has lived and worked between Trinidad, Canada, the USA, Germany and Britain. He settled in Trinidad with his family between 2002 and 2021, when he moved back to London. ...
and Matthew Higgs. Forrester is the subject of a documentary film by Julian Henriques entitled ''Denzil's Dance''. In 2019,
Art on the Underground Art on the Underground, previously called ''Platform for Art'', is Transport for London's (TfL) contemporary public art programme. It commissions permanent and temporary artworks for London Underground, as well as commissioning artists to create ...
commissioned Forrester's first major public commission, a large-scale artwork titled "Brixton Blue", to be on view at Brixton station from September 2019 to September 2020. Forrester was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in the
2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
for services to art. In 2021, Morley College named an art studio in Forrester's honour, when Sara Robertson-Jonas, Head of Visual and Digital Arts, said: "During his time at Morley, Denzil inspired generations of students to achieve their potential as artists. Denzil epitomises the many high calibre tutors at Morley who are professional artists, musicians and writers who come to share this love of creativity with others. ...It is wonderful to now see him receive international recognition for his work and for us to commemorate his contribution to Morley by naming his favourite teaching space The Denzil Forrester Studio."

Themes
In common with other early Black British artists, such as Tam Joseph and Eugene Palmer, having been born in the Caribbean and brought up in the UK Forrester reflects in his paintings a duality of cultural influences; as John Lyons observed: "Denzil's respect for tradition is a manifestation of the will to find an identity within two cultures, Afro-Caribbean and European, for both have played a vital role in his process of maturing as an artist." Eddie Chambers has characterised Forrester's work as ranging from "dark, brooding and sometimes menacing works, through to bright, liberated paintings resonating with bright and vibrant colours", his subject matter encompassing the atmosphere of nightclubs and of carnival, typically using large-scale canvases to produce paintings that critic
John Russell Taylor John Russell Taylor (born 19 June 1935) is an English critic and author. He is the author of critical studies of British theatre; of critical biographies of such figures in film as Alfred Hitchcock, Alec Guinness, Orson Welles, Vivien Leigh, ...
has called "distinctive and unmistakable". Together with its depictions of street scenes and social commentary about city life, particularly dealing with the racial tensions of the 1980s in the UK, Forrester's work has been described as "a series of historical documents related to the making of Black Britain".

Selected exhibitions
*2023: ''Denzil Forrester: We Culture'', Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, United States (6 April 2023 – 24 September 2023) *2023: ''Denzil Forrester: With Q'', Stephen Friedman Gallery, London (10 March – 6 April 2023) *2023: ''Duppy Conqueror'',
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum. Founders The core of the museum's per ...
,
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
*2020: ''Itchin & Scratchin'',
Nottingham Contemporary Nottingham Contemporary (formerly known as the Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham (CCAN)) is a contemporary art centre in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. The gallery opened in 2009. The gallery describes its site as being "the oldest i ...
*2019: ''Denzil Forrester: A Survey'', Stephen Friedman Gallery *2018: ''From Trench Town to Porthowan''
Jackson Foundation Gallery
Cornwall *2015: '' No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990'',
Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guil ...
, London *2008: ''Quad'', Gallery in Cork Street, London *2005: ''Artists Doing It For Themselves'',
Farringdon, London Farringdon is an area of Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington, situated immediately north of its border with the City of London. The term is used to describe the area around Farringdon station. Historically the district corresponded to ...
*2001: ''Fresh Art'', Business Design Centre, London *2000: ''The Selectors'', Madeleine Pearson Gallery, London *1997: ''Transforming the Crown: African, Asian and Caribbean Artists in Britain, 1966–1996'', The Studio Museum in Harlem and The Bronx Museum of Art —''Foundations of Fame'', The London Institute *1996–97: ''Imagined Communities'',
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...
, London *1995: ''The London Art Group'', Barbican Art Gallery —''The Caribbean Connection'', Islington Arts Factory (15 September–13 October) *1990: ''Rome Scholars 1980–90'', Royal College of Art —''Denzil Forrester: Dub Transition: A Decade of Paintings 1980–1990'', Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston (22 September–3 November) *1989: ''Caribbean Expressions in Britain'', Leicester Museum and Art Gallery. *1988: ''New Figurative Painters'', The Orangery, London —''Figuring Out the 80s'', Laing Gallery, Newcastle —Painters at the Royal College of Art, 150th Anniversary Show *1987: Royal Academy of Art Summer Show *1986: ''From Two Worlds'',
Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fi ...
, London (30 July–7 September) *1985: ''Six Artists in Action'', Madeleine Pearson Gallery London

Awards and recognition
* 1983–85: Rome Scholarship * 1986–88: Harkness Scholarship * 1987: Korn/Ferry International Award * 2019:
Morley College Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the ...
Fellowship * 2021: appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) * 2021:
South Bank Sky Arts Award The Sky Arts Awards (formerly The South Bank Show Awards and The South Bank Sky Arts Awards) are an accolade recognising British and Irish achievements in the arts. The awards have been given annually since 1997. They originated with the long- ...
for ''Itchin & Scratchin''

References

External links
* official website * Osei Bonsu
"Denzil Forrester: 'I Had to Find Something That Shook Me Up
''
Frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
'', 1 June 2019.
"Denzil Forrester"
at Iniva. {{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Denzil 1956 births Living people 20th-century British male artists 20th-century English artists 21st-century English artists 21st-century male artists Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design Alumni of the Royal College of Art Black British artists Grenadian artists Grenadian emigrants to England Members of the Order of the British Empire