Tony Bevan was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, in 1951 and studied at Bradford School of Art, 1968-1971, Goldsmiths' College, London, 1971-1974, and at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1974 to 1976. He first gained stature as an artist in the 1980s, taking part in the ICA show Before It Hits The Floor in 1982 and The British Art Show in 1984. These group shows led to successful solo exhibitions in Germany and the USA.
Constantly challenging the establishment, perhaps as a reflection of the political climate of mid-1980s, Bevan produced psychologically charged images of people at the edge of respectable society in a unique style influenced by a range of sources, including Frances Bacon, the School of London painters, the transience of street graffiti and popular culture.
When focusing primarily on the human figure, he uses a distressed angular technique, often intentionally crude. Above all, Bevan's work is characterised by his limited use of colour and the mixing of grit and sand with acrylic paint.
