Frank Bowling
b . British Guiana 1934 ; works in United Kingdom and United States
Frank Bowling was born in 1934 in British Guiana , in the small trading town of Bartica in the county of Essequibo . At six years old , his family moved to the port town of New Amsterdam where his mother , Agatha Elizabeth Franklin Bowling , a talented dressmaker , set up a general store , named the “ Bowling ’ s Variety Store ” and grew it to become the family ’ s crown jewel .
The image of “ Bowling ’ s Variety Store ,” or as the artist simply calls it “ mother ’ s house ,” emerges as an impressive and reoccurring presence in several of Bowling ’ s paintings and their titles . In 1964 , Bowling began screen printing the image of “ mother ’ s house ” in red and green onto multiple blank canvasses . Throughout the 1960s , he would create several abstract large-scale works where the screen-printed “ mother ’ s house ” was both a central and pseudo-visible presence .
Featured here , Mother ’ s House with Beware of the Dog , 1966 , is one of the many works where the façade of “ mother ’ s house ” is visible . The accompanying archival black and white images ( 1953 and 1966 ) from the artist ’ s personal family collection illustrates the architectural view used by Bowling in the series of “ Mother ’ s House ” paintings . The image shows bold letters that mark the grand three-story clapperboard building located on Main Street as the “ Bowling ’ s Variety Store ” and the artist ’ s mother posing within the store ’ s front gates . The 1966 photograph provides a sense of the full architectural beauty of the structure — bountiful windows encircling the house are wide open while the British flag looms above and a windswept palm tree hovers behind .
Reflecting on the importance of New Amsterdam to his oeuvre , Bowling notes :
“… New Amsterdam is the most important place , and it reappears all the time … in my quiet moments it reappears . It was a town that was full of terror , and at the same time it was marvelous … it belonged to me .” 1
1
Mel Gooding , Frank Bowling , Royal Academy of Arts , London , 2011 .
Bowling ’ s Variety Store , Main Street , New Amsterdam , British Guiana , 1966 Photograph from the artist ’ s archive 11 1/2 x 15 3/4 in . Courtesy of the artist
Bowling ’ s Variety Store , Main Street , New Amsterdam , British Guiana , 1953 Photograph from the artist ’ s archive 11 1/2 x 15 3/4 in . Courtesy of the artist