Vanilla Beer (born 1950,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

) is an English artist. She trained at the West Surrey School of Art and Design and

Walthamstow College of Art Walthamstow College of Art was an art school based in Walthamstow, north-east London. In the 1970s, it was merged into North East London Polytechnic and is now part of the University of East London (UEL). UEL's School of Architecture and the Vis ...

, London. Her first major solo show was at Gallery 181, curated by Alan Haydon in 1983. Her first major installation was commissioned by John Gill for the Royal Festival Hall in 1984. An installation at the De La Warr Pavilion took place in 1985. Since then she has had more than 100 exhibitions in England, North America, the Philippines (with British Council Support), France, Berlin and Ireland. Vanilla Beer was a part-time lecturer at

Lewisham College Lewisham College is a further education college in the London Borough of Lewisham, south-east London. It was established in 1990, having previously been known as SELTEC (South East London College of Technology) since the early 1970s, which was ru ...

and

Greenwich University , mottoeng = "To learn, to do, to achieve" , former_name = Woolwich Polytechnic(1890–1970)Thames Polytechnic(1970–1992) , established = , type = Public university , budget = £214.9 million (2020) , administrative_staff = , chancel ...

, at Paris's Sorbonne and Cité University, occasionally at central London art schools. She was a reviewer for 'The Art Book' from 1997–2000. She was elected Fellow of the Printmakers Council in 1984, Holder of the Artescape Fellowship 1991-1992; She won the GLC Peace Year prize in 1983, Mail on Sunday Award 1991, Russell and Chapple Painting of the Month November 1996, Ray Finnis Award 1997, prize winner for short-listed installations at Deptford Creek, London and in County Mayo, Ireland. 2018 award Pix du Jury, Art a Magrie, France.

Personal life

Beer is one of eight children of the eminent

cybernetician A cyberneticist or a cybernetician is a person who practices cybernetics. Heinz von Foerster once told Stuart Umpleby that Norbert Wiener preferred the term "cybernetician" rather than "cyberneticist", perhaps because Wiener was a mathematician ...

Stafford Beer Anthony Stafford Beer (25 September 1926 – 23 August 2002) was a British theorist, consultant and professor at the Manchester Business School. He is best known for his work in the fields of operational research and management cybernetics. ...

Publications

Prenez, Mangez et Vivez

Peacock University Press published a collection of essays on Beer's work in 2006. The publication, titled ''Prenez, Mangez et Vivez'', was edited by Tony Mann and the essays were written by Beatrijs Lauwaert, Liane Lang and Ian Bolton.

Modern Mythmaker (2013)

An illustrated book with text by Zoey Goto, covers Beer's recent work which combines real life and myth.http://www.vanillabeer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Vanilla-Modern-Mythmaker-FINAL-LAYOUT.pdf

Drawn by the Light of Burning Bridges (2015)

Catalogue of drawings, reflections on art, notes on techniques.

Saints in Paint: A Mediation (2021)

Catalogue of a series of paintings of the mythic saints, examining the nature of inspiration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beer, Vanilla 1950 births Living people 20th-century English painters 21st-century English painters English printmakers Academic staff of the University of Paris Alumni of Walthamstow College of Art Date of birth missing (living people) Artists from Sheffield 20th-century British printmakers Cyberneticists Women cyberneticists