Denis Bowen

Born, 1921 in Kimberley, South Africa. Died, 2006

Artist Denis Bowen exhibited alongside Max Chapman, Anthony Underhill, and Aubrey Williams in an exhibition titled Continuum, at Grabowski Gallery in 1960. Several decades later, Bowen wrote the introduction to the small catalogue for the last solo exhibition (held at the October Gallery) of Aubrey Williams’ work during his lifetime. (He was to die a few months into 1990, the year following this exhibition).

Within his introduction, Denis Bowen wrote “Painters with whom [Williams] has found affinities, such as Pollock, Gorky, Matta, DeKooning, Tamayo and Alan Davie appeal to his own sense of symbology, movement and colour and it is not surprising that Alan Davie spends much time at Aubrey’s Santa Lucia Studio in the Caribbean.”

Bowen contributed The Work of Aubrey Williams, to the publication Guyana Dreaming: The Art of Aubrey Williams,  Part Three: Critical Comments on the Work of Aubrey Williams.

An obituary on Aubrey Williams that appeared in the Guardian, Tuesday May 1 1990 (written by Anne Walmsley) was embellished by a smaller contribution from Denis Bowen. Amongst Bowen’s comments, “Aubrey Williams was one of the most outstanding and individual of the artists who exhibited at the New Vision Centre Gallery in London which I directed from 1956 to 1966.”

www.denisbowen.co.uk

»  Aubrey Williams

Catalogue relating to an exhibition, 1989

»  Aubrey Williams - obituary, Art Monthly

Obituary relating to an individual, 1990

»  Aubrey Williams The Cosmos Series press release

Press release relating to an exhibition, 1996

»  Continuum

Brochure relating to an exhibition, 1960

»  Guyana Dreaming: The Art of Aubrey Williams

Book relating to an individual, 1990