Bryan Ingham

1936-1997

Painter, sculptor and printmaker, George Bryan Ingham was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1936. He studied at Central School of Art 1957-1961 and then at The Royal College of Art 1961-1964 and continued his education at The British Academy in Rome in 1966.

Ingham was particularly influenced by the period of Cubism from 1912-1916 and the work of Picasso, Braque and Gris, but also by the work of Kurt Schwitters, Robert Rauschenberg, Giorgio Morandi and even Piero Della Francesca.  His work is often thought to be reminiscent of Ben Nicholson’s in subject matter and treatment. 

As well as painting he was a collagist and graphic artist. Although he made quite a large body of etchings, many of these were not editioned, so although it is easier to find his prints than it used to be, they are still  rare.   His work concentrates on both real and implied space within the surface of a picture which is why he found an affinity with ‘carving and quarrying’ plates as an etcher and his three dimensional work included sculpture relief’s.

He was given a number of awards including an Italian Government scholarship, the Leverhulme Research award and an award from Atelier Haus Worpsede, Germany.

Ingham’s reclusive character did not propel his art into the limelight and it was only at the end of his life that significant galleries exhibited him. He had a retrospective exhibition at The Fine Art Society in 2006 and is likely to be the next Cornish School artist to be reassessed as a major figure. He died in 1997 at the age of 61.