Roy Reid (21 December 1937 – 10 January 2009) was a

Jamaican Jamaican may refer to: * Something or someone of, from, or related to the country of Jamaica * Jamaicans, people from Jamaica * Jamaican English, a variety of English spoken in Jamaica * Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole language * Culture ...

painter active from 1968 to 2009. He was best known for his paintings depicting the Jamaican people and dress and those with themes of devastation such as fires, which often have moral and spiritual meaning.

Biography

Born in

Portland, Jamaica Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica, containing part o ...

, Reid was born to farming parents but dropped out of school at the age of 11 because he couldn't read, only learning later at the age of 34 by reading the

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. He later moved to

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

to pursue a career. Reid was regarded in his native country as one of the important figures among Jamaican 'intuitive' artists, generally those who are outsiders of the main schools of artistic activity and social circles on the island, especially as he was self-taught.The Caribbean Collection
/ref> Reid has made many notable exhibitions of his artwork, the Self Taught Artist Exhibition at the Institute of Jamaica in 1971, Eight Jamaican Primitives in

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in 1976; The Intuitive Eye at the

National Gallery of Jamaica The National Gallery of Jamaica, in Kingston, Jamaica, is Jamaica's public art museum. It was established in 1974 and is located in the Kingston Mall, a commercial and cultural center on Kingston harbour. The National Gallery of Jamaica also ha ...

in 1979, the Jamaican Intuitives in

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and a Caribbean exhibition at the Un Nouveau Regard sur Les Caribes at

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in 1992. As from the National Gallery, in Jamaica he has given various exhibitions at

Makonde Gallery Makonde may refer to: * Makonde people, an ethnic group from East Africa * Makonde art, the art of the Makonde people * Makonde language, the language spoken by the Makonde people * Makonde (District), a district of the Mashonaland West province of ...

, Pegasus Hotel in 1981, Bolivar Gallery in 1982 and the

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in 1987. Reid also exhibited his artwork at the annual national exhibition of the National Gallery between December 2000 to February 2001, displaying his paintings ''The Unforgettable Defenceless Street People Removal'' and ''Everyone has a Cross to Bear''. Reid was also a credited author of art books and magazines, including ''Modern Jamaican Art'', ''Art Today'' and the magazine ''Revue Noire''. In April 2005, Reid's art studio and several rooms of his house in Grass Quit Glades, Kingston were gutted by fire.

Death

Reid was found dead in the workshop of his St. Andrew home by his wife Mabel Reid on the morning of 10 January 2009. At the time, Reid was said to be suffering from prostate cancer, an enlarged heart and diabetes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Roy 1937 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Jamaican painters