Biography

Watson is the son of painter Barrington Watson

Barrington Watson

Barrington Watson is Jamaica’s master painter. Born in 1931 in Lucea, Jamaica, Barrington Watson made his original mark in Jamaica as a football player for Kingston College. However, he ultimately followed his artistic yearnings by enrolling at the Royal College of Art in London. He traveled...

, and the brother of sculptor Raymond Watson. He was honored with the Order of Jamaica

Order of Jamaica

The Order of Jamaica is the fourth of the five ranks in the Jamaican honours system. The Order was established in 1969, and is considered the equivalent of knighthood in the British honours system....

 in 2005, in recognition of his artistic accomplishments.

Watson completed a sculpture entitled "Balance" in November 2006, which was installed at Doctor's Cave Bathing Club in Montego Bay

Montego Bay

Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...

, in honor of the club's centennial. Meant to depict the harmony between man and woman, it depicts a standing nude man with one arm outstretched over his head, and an inverted nude woman balancing on one hand, with her hand supported by the man's upraised hand. In total, it is fifteen feet tall.

In December of that same year, he completed a statue of sprinter Merlene Ottey

Merlene Ottey

Merlene Joyce Ottey , is a Jamaican-born Slovenian track athlete. Ottey began her career representing Jamaica, but since 2002, has represented Slovenia, where she now resides...

, which was installed at Jamaica's National Stadium. The bronze sculpture, which is eight feet tall and weighs seven hundred pounds, depicts a running Ottey reaching for the sky with her right hand. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson presided over the statue's dedication.

Another work of Watson's was added to National Stadium in November 2009, when Primer Minister Bruce Golding

Bruce Golding

Orette Bruce Golding MP served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from 11 September 2007 to 23 October 2011. He is a member of the Jamaica Labour Party.-Biography:...

 unveiled his sculpture of sprinter Herb McKenley

Herb McKenley

Competitor for JamaicaHerbert Henry "Herb" McKenley OM was a Jamaican athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 4x400 m relay at the 1952 Summer Olympics....

. Watson described the task as an "honour" and a "privilege", citing the esteem in which he held McKenley. He said that when designing the work, he drew from multiple images of McKenley created at different times in his life, in order to bridge the gap between McKenley's youthful accomplishments and his popular renown in his old age.

Works by both Basil Watson and his son Kai, a painter, were exhibited in New York at the fifth annual "Art Off the Main" exposition in October 2008, sponsored by the Savacou Gallery.

That December, Watson was added to the list of artists invited to provide works for the National Gallery of Jamaica

National Gallery of Jamaica

The National Gallery of Jamaica, in Kingston, Jamaica, is Jamaica's premier art collection. It is located in the Kingston Mall, a commercial and cultural center on Kingston harbour....

's National Biennial exhibition.