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RA Magazine talks to Joe TIlson RA
Photograph by Eamonn McCabe.
RA Magazine talks to Chris Wilkinson RA
Photograph by Julian Anderson.
RA Magazine talks to Peter Cook RA
Photograph by Eamonn McCabe.
RA Magazine talks to Richard Wilson RA
Photograph by Julian Anderson.
Born: 22 June 1951, Sussex, England
Elected RA: 26 May 2004
Category of Membership: Painter
Humphrey Ocean, 'Jock', 2009. Gouache on paper, 76x56cm. Humphrey Ocean studied at Canterbury Art School from 1970 to 1973. During that time, he played bass with Kilburn and the Highroads and the band supported The Who on their 1973 Christmas Tour. He had his first major solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London in 1984 and has since shown at Tate Liverpool and Whitechapel Gallery, London. In 2002 a residency at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London culminated in his exhibition how's my driving and more recently he has had shows at Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury, 2009 and Jesus College, Cambridge, 2011. A handbook of modern life, a series of new portraits, will be at the National Portrait Gallery 2012-13, accompanied by a new publication.
Other projects include Big Mouth: The Amazon Speaks, his book with the American anthropologist Stephen Nugent about their visit to Northern Brazil, published by Fourth Estate in 1990 and in 2009 he appeared in Alan Kane’s Life Class: Today’s Nude on Channel 4 television (a project with Artangel). Since 1990 he has worked with filmmaker John Tchalenko on a continuing experiment with drawing, starting with Double-Portrait.
In 2012 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Canterbury Christ Church University and was appointed Royal Academy Professor of Perspective.
He lives and works in London.
VIDEO: Humphrey Ocean RA: Everyday epiphanies (15 October–8 December 2011)
Recent solo exhibitions
2013 A handbook of modern life, National Portrait Gallery London (starting November 2012)
2012 Now and Then, Canterbury Christ Church University
2011 Here and There, Jesus College, Cambridge
2009 Perfectly Ordinary, Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury Christ Church University
2003 how’s my driving, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
1999 The Painter’s Eye, National Portrait Gallery, London
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
1997 urbasuburba, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
1991 Double-Portrait, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
Tate, Liverpool, Whitechapel Gallery, London Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester,
Castle Museum, Norwich
Public collections
British Council
Bruges-Zeebrugge Port Authority
Christ Church, Oxford
Ferens Art Gallery, Hull
Hertford College, Oxford
Imperial War Museum, London
National Maritime Museum, London
National Portrait Gallery, London
Queen Mary College, London
Royal Library, Windsor Castle
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Royal Society of Chemistry
St John's College, Cambridge
South London Gallery
Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
University of Birmingham
Victoria & Albert Museum
The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Contact details for further information Email membershipoffice@royalacademy.org.uk
