Biography

Considering that Bernard Farmer has produced some of the most strikingly recognisable images of 20th century surprisingly little is known about the man himself. He is famously quoted as saying, “the more simple I can make an image the better I like it... The less can always expand in the mind, whereas more either constricts or becomes too much”. With this philosophy in mind it is easy to understand the composition of his work, simple shapes in basic colours neither working within, or totally apart from, any specific artistic movement. His constructions are simple, beautiful and successful because they do not attempt to be anything more than what they are.

Farmer was educated at the Chelsea Polytechnic School of art and showed with LG, New Vision Centre, St. Martin’s Gallery and AIA. His many solo shows were undertaken with establishments such as Heal’s Art Gallery (1964) and Angela Flowers Gallery (1982).

He was co-organiser, along with Malcolm Hughes, of Directions-Connections at AIA Gallery, 1961,and had work reproduced in Frank Avray Wilson’s Art as Understanding, 1963. The now renowned painter Adrian Heath was a strong advocate of his work. The public can find his work in the permanent collections of both the Arts Council and Contemporary Art Society