John Bratby RA (1928 - 1992)

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John Randall Bratby RA

John Bratby RA was born in London. He studied at Kingston School of Art 1948-49 and Royal College of Art in 1951-54. Subsequently he was awarded an Art bursary to travel in Italy. However, he was not very stimulated by the art he saw there so preferred not to travel. Therefore his taste for domestic life in England is reflected in his painting. He worked in a harsh realist style, applying the paint thickly in vibrant colours. Sometimes portraying ugly and desperate faces.

Kitchen Sink Movement

John Bratby RA primarily chose his family as subjects. In addition he incorporated all the clutter of urban domestic life in his paintings. It was this concern with social realism that brought Bratby into contact with Jack Smith. Edward Middleditch and Derrick Greaves, and these artists became the main exponents of the Kitchen sink school. However, while the Kitchen Sink artists shared a desire to depict the banality of a working-class domestic environment. Bratby’s use of colours and his more middle-class surroundings distinguished his style from that of his peers.

Teacher

Bratby taught for two brief periods. However in the late 1960s he started a series of portraits of celebrities, including the actress Billie Whitelaw; the series developed into a Hall of Fame during the 1970s. He also painted cityscapes on trips abroad in the 1980s but concentrated on self-portraits and portraits of his second wife, in intimate poses and with bright colours and an economy of line.
His first solo exhibition was at Beaux Art Gallery in 1954, where he exhibited regularly. As a result he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1956. Retrospective exhibition was held at the National Portrait Gallery in 1991. The Mayor Gallery included him in the Kitchen Sink Artists Revived exhibition in 1991. His work is represented in many major public art galleries including The Tate, The National Portrait Gallery. Subsequently with over 120 paintings on the Artuk.org website.

John Randall Bratby was Elected as a Royal Academician in 1971.