Trevor Bell - Original 1970's Abstract Painting

Trevor Bell (1930 – 2017) remains one of the most highly regarded British abstract painters of the last 50 years, and one of a select band of artists who had a full Tate retrospective in their lifetime. Bell was born in Leeds in 1930 and later moved to Cornwall in 1955. Bell held his first solo exhibition at Waddington Galleries in London in 1958. Richard Heron wrote the introduction to the catalogue, describing Bell as ‘the best non-figurative painter under thirty’. His reputation spread quickly, and by the early 1970s he had been awarded a major exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery. Following this Trevor taught at the Florida State University for 25 years. He exhibited regularly in commercial galleries and museums across America. 1996 saw his move back to Cornwall and his re-connection with the landscape and atmosphere that influenced his first abstract paintings. He became a regular feature of the Tate St Ives exhibition programme and had a full retrospective in 2004. In 2011, 14 works were obtained by the Tate Gallery for their permanent collection. Bell had works purchased and commissioned by numerous other international museums and public and private collections including The Arts Council of England, British Council, British Museum, Boca Raton, Laing Art Gallery, Ljubljana’s U.V.U Keleia Collection and the Victoria & Albert Museum.