Eugene Oliver Palmer (born 1955) is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n-born British artist. His work uses archival records, photographs, and contemporary media imagery as basis for his paintings. Palmer has had a long association with art curators and exhibitors

Eddie Chambers Edward Chambers (born March 29, 1982) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by '' The Ring'' at the conclusion of 20 ...

and Keith Piper and is recognised as one of the leading Black artists working in Britain. He currently lives and works in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.

Biography

Eugene Oliver Palmer was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and came to England as a child with his parents in 1966."Eugene Palmer"
Diaspora Artists. Growing up, he was influenced by two different cultures and it is the memories of these and influences from them that have shaped his artistic career. In the mid-1970s he completed an Art Foundation course in Sutton Coldfield,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, before going on to secure a BA (Hons) from

Wimbledon School of Art Wimbledon College of Arts, formerly Wimbledon School of Art, is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London specialising in theatre, screen and performance art. It is located in Wimbledon and Merton Park, South West London. ...

in 1978, followed a few years later by a Teaching Certificate from

Garnett College Garnett College was a higher education college in London which trained lecturers in further and higher education colleges. Its main focus was on teaching towards post-graduate qualifications awarded by the Council for National Academic Awards (C ...

, London, and an MA in Painting from

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wo ...

, in the mid-1980s. Starting with colourful and bright abstract paintings of the early to mid-1980s, Palmer began exploring a variety of different areas of painting as his career progressed. Common themes in his work are explorations of cultural history and cultural identity. His early career encompassed exhibiting at such venues as Bedford Gill Gallery,

198 Gallery 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, also known as the 198 Gallery or 198, is an art space and gallery in Railton Road, Brixton, London, that for more than three decades has had a strong commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion. History T ...

, and the Duncan Campbell Gallery, and group exhibitions included the

New Contemporaries New Contemporaries is an organisation in the UK that works to support emerging artists at the beginning of their careers by introducing them to the visual arts sector and to the public through a variety of platforms, including an annual exhibition ...

, ''Caribbean Expressions in Britain'' in the mid-1980s and ''Black Art: Plotting the Course''.

Solo exhibitions

Artist of the Day
selected by

Sonia Boyce Sonia Dawn Boyce, (born 1962) is a British Afro-Caribbean artist and educator, living and working in London. She is a Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. Boyce's research interests explore art as a social pract ...

MBE, Flowers Gallery, London, 2014

References

External links

Eugene Palmer
at Iniva Digital archive.
Eugene Palmer exhibition details
(2004). * * Eddie Chambers
"Eugene Palmer Recent Paintings"
(2000). 20th-century British painters British male painters 21st-century British painters Black British artists Jamaican artists 1955 births Living people Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Artists from Kingston, Jamaica 20th-century British male artists 21st-century British male artists {{UK-painter-20thC-stub