Bryan Pearce Archives | Vanessa Clewes Salmon

Bryan Pearce

Bryan Pearce was born in St. Ives, Cornwall where he lived and worked all his life. He suffered from a disease which affected the development of his brain, but thanks to the loving nurturing and encouragement of his parents he became one of Britain’s foremost naive painters. His father played rugby for Cornwall, was the local butcher and later became mayor, while his mother an artist herself, was a huge influence on his life, it was she who encouraged him to paint and attend St. Ives School of Painting under Leonard Fuller.

His earliest pictures are jewel-like still lifes in watercolour and they date from 1953 to 1957 after which he moved to oil on board and then, conté crayon. Pearce’s unmistakable style has a unique charm and natural innocence, his beautiful peaceful paintings portray the essence of his beloved St Ives, recalling views in minutest detail with cloudless skies and calm blue seas which he documented for some 50 years.

Amongst his greatest admirers and those who encouraged him were renowned Cornish artists such as Peter Lanyon and Breon O’Casey as well as Alan Bowness who became Director of the Tate Gallery and Jim Ede, founder of Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge.

Bryan Pearce enjoyed universal acclaim during his life time; he had gallery exhibitions up and down the country from Victor Waddington to Stoppenbach and Delestre in London and Beaux Arts in Bath; one of his proudest moments was travelling to London with his mother for the opening of St Ives 1939-64 a major show in 1985 at The Tate Gallery. Today the paintings of Bryan Pearce can seen in public collections such as The Tate Gallery, The Arts Council of Great Britain, The Contemporary Arts Society, Kettle’s Yard and The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

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