Bryan Pearce
Born 1929 – Died 2007
Bryan Pearce was born in St. Ives, Cornwall and studied at the St. Ives School of Painting under Leonard Fuller between 1953 and 1957. He joined the Penwith Society in 1957 and the Newlyn Society in 1959. A solo exhibition of his work was staged at the Newlyn Gallery in 1959, and the Penwith Society held a retrospective in 1966. Pearce was born with the rare genetic condition phenylketonuria (PKU) which, if untreated, can lead to brain damage and the development of learning disabilities. He was originally encouraged to draw and paint by his mother Mary Pearce (née Warmington) for therapeutic purposes, and developed a characteristic style comprising a steep perspective, bold outlining, and flat, bright colours. His subjects were always closely observed, most often the buildings and boats of St. Ives and surrounding countryside.
Kettle’s Yard founder Jim Ede met Bryan Pearce in the early 1960s, having been introduced through another St. Ives artist, Barbara Hepworth. Ede became an advocate of Pearce’s art, helping to arrange exhibitions of his work. He also invited Pearce and his mother to Cambridge, where they stayed for two weeks at Kettle’s Yard. Pearce exhibited with the St. Martin’s Gallery and the New Art Centre in London in the 1960s and 1970s; and solo exhibitions were staged Modern Art Oxford (1975), the Plymouth Art Centre (1984) and the Royal West of England Academy (1995). His work is included in the collections of the Tate and Arts Council England.
