The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham is currently showing Mappa Mundi, a comprehensive overview of the work of seminal British artist Frank Bowling, which runs until 8th July 2018.
Over a long and varied career, the evolution of Bowling’s work can be seen as a reflection of a major evolution in painting throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Coming out of the fertile grounds of the Royal College of Art in the mid 1960s Bowling, along with contemporaries like David Hockney and Ron Kitaj, exhibited widely in London and the UK, garnering acclaim for ambitious early works such as The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and Big Bird. Though previously not as widely celebrated as some of those friends and contemporaries, Bowling is now considered an essential figure in the discourse around art, identity and post-colonialism.
Named for one of Bowling’s celebrated ‘map’ paintings, Mappa Mundi highlights exceptional works from throughout Bowling’s career from the 1960s onwards.
Frank Bowling: Mappa Mundi rightly identifies Bowling as a major figure in painting of the last 50 years. Alongside such milestones as being the first black artist elected to the Royal Academy, the first black British artist to have work acquired by the Tate, and being appointed an Officer of the British Empire in 2008, Bowling continues to produce ambitious and complex work today.
Frank Bowling: Mappa Mundi is at IMMA until 8 July 2018 - more details here.
