On February 26th, as Guyanese recovered from an eventful three-day weekend of celebrations marking our 54th Republic Anniversary, Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA marked a milestone birthday. Bowling turned 90! He is Guyana’s oldest living artist. However, Bowling is not a regular visitor to our shores and consequently is little known to younger resident Guyanese artists.
Bowling was born in Bartica but spent many formative years in New Amsterdam. In 1953, he departed British Guiana, travelling from Georgetown on “the Booker ship, to Port of Spain” and then onward to England “on a French boat”. Bowling had his sights set on becoming a writer. However, in 1958 he enrolled in the City & Guilds of London Art School. After one term, in 1959, he moved to the Royal College of Art (RCA), London, from which he graduated in 1962 with a silver medal for painting. The years at the RCA were not continuous as he spent the autumn term of 1960 at the Slade School of Fine Art (also in London). Bowling’s temporary departure was necessitated by his marrying an administrative member of staff of the RCA and this was frowned upon. After Bowling’s then-wife transferred to another institution, he was invited to return to the RCA.
