Cliff Holden
Encyclopedia
Cliff Holden FCSD is a British
painter, designer, and silk-screen printer.
Holden was educated at Wilmslow Modern School followed by Reaseheath School of Agriculture, where he studied agriculture and veterinary science.
In 1944, Holden met David Bomberg
(1890–1957) at the City Literary Institute in London
.
In 1945, he and other artists including Dorothy Mead followed Bomberg to Borough Polytechnic. There he founded the Borough Group
in 1946 together with other pupils of Bomberg after consultation with him, among them Miles Richmond
. The purpose of the group was to develop the ideas of Bomberg who taught at Borough Polytechnic during the 1940s and 1950s, and was the leading light of the movement. Holden was first president of the group during 1946–48, as suggested by Bomberg, after which Bomberg became president and the group extended to 11 members, among them Dennis Creffield
. The group was active until 1951.
Holden met the Swedish artist Torsten Renquist and has exhibited in Sweden
. From 1956, he lived in Sweden and his artworks are also in collections there.
Cliff Holden is a member of the London Group
. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers
and the Free Painters & Sculptors. He is also a design associate of the American Institute of Interior Designers. He received an honorary doctorate from London South Bank University in 2006.
The collections of the Arts Council
, Manchester City Art Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
, Tate Britain
, Victoria and Albert Museum
, and other art museums include work by Holden.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
painter, designer, and silk-screen printer.
Holden was educated at Wilmslow Modern School followed by Reaseheath School of Agriculture, where he studied agriculture and veterinary science.
In 1944, Holden met David Bomberg
David Bomberg
David Garshen Bomberg was an English painter, and one of the Whitechapel Boys.Bomberg was one of the most audacious of the exceptional generation of artists who studied at the Slade School of Art under Henry Tonks, and which included Mark Gertler, Stanley Spencer, C.R.W. Nevinson and Dora Carrington...
(1890–1957) at the City Literary Institute in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1945, he and other artists including Dorothy Mead followed Bomberg to Borough Polytechnic. There he founded the Borough Group
Borough Group
The Borough Group was a collective of mid-20th century artists from the Borough area of Southwark, south London, England. The group was associated with the David Bomberg, who was then teaching a number of the artists that formed the group at the Borough Polytechnic, hence the name.Cliff Holden...
in 1946 together with other pupils of Bomberg after consultation with him, among them Miles Richmond
Miles Richmond
Miles Peter Richmond was a British artist.Born Peter Richmond, in Isleworth, Middlesex, he added the name Miles in the 1980s, and became generally known as such. From 1940 to 1943 he attended Kingston School of Art, and then, as a conscientious objector worked on the land...
. The purpose of the group was to develop the ideas of Bomberg who taught at Borough Polytechnic during the 1940s and 1950s, and was the leading light of the movement. Holden was first president of the group during 1946–48, as suggested by Bomberg, after which Bomberg became president and the group extended to 11 members, among them Dennis Creffield
Dennis Creffield
Dennis Creffield is a British artist with work owned by major British art collections, including the Tate Gallery, Arts Council of England, the Government Art Collection, Leeds City Art Gallery, University of Leeds collection, University of Brighton collection and others.-Early life and...
. The group was active until 1951.
Holden met the Swedish artist Torsten Renquist and has exhibited in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. From 1956, he lived in Sweden and his artworks are also in collections there.
Cliff Holden is a member of the London Group
London Group
The London Group is an artists' exhibiting society based in London, England, founded in 1913, when the Camden Town Group came together with the English Vorticists and other independent artists to challenge the domination of the Royal Academy, which had become unadventurous and conservative....
. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers
Chartered Society of Designers
The Chartered Society of Designers , headquartered in London, England, is the professional body for designers. It is the world's only Royal chartered body of professional designers...
and the Free Painters & Sculptors. He is also a design associate of the American Institute of Interior Designers. He received an honorary doctorate from London South Bank University in 2006.
The collections of the Arts Council
Arts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
, Manchester City Art Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, holds the national collection of modern art. When opened in 1960, the collection was held in Inverleith House, at the Royal Botanic Gardens...
, Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
, Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, and other art museums include work by Holden.
See also
Further members of the Borough Group at Borough Polytechnic:- Frank AuerbachFrank AuerbachFrank Helmut Auerbach is a painter born in Germany although he has been a naturalised British citizen since 1947.-Biography:Auerbach was born in Berlin, the son of Max Auerbach, a patent lawyer, and Charlotte Nora Burchardt, who had trained as an artist...
- Dennis CreffieldDennis CreffieldDennis Creffield is a British artist with work owned by major British art collections, including the Tate Gallery, Arts Council of England, the Government Art Collection, Leeds City Art Gallery, University of Leeds collection, University of Brighton collection and others.-Early life and...
- Leon KossoffLeon KossoffLeon Kossoff is a British expressionist painter, known for portraits, life drawings and cityscapes of London, England....
- Edna MannEdna MannEdna Mann was a British painter and co-founder of the Borough Group of artists.Mann was educated at Romford County High School for Girls and then studied art at the South-East Essex Technical College and School of Art. Here in 1942, she met the artists David Bomberg , who was teaching there, and...
- Dorothy MeadDorothy MeadDorothy Mead was a British painter.Mead was born in London, England,She first met David Bomberg when he was teaching at the Dagenham School of Art in 1945...
- Peter Richmond