Arthur Timothy

Overview

Born to Sierra Leonean and Ghanaian parents in Accra in 1957 – the year Ghana gained independence from colonial rule - Arthur Timothy is an artist and architect, whose artworks depict close family members and autobiographical events, specifically in Accra, where the artist was born, and Freetown, where he lived until the age of 9. His large-scale oil paintings are inspired by an archive of black and white photographs - found amongst his father's papers - which he brings to life with vibrant colour, from both memory and imagination.

In fresh washes of colour, Timothy’s found photographs (kept unmarked in a trunk amongst his late father’s papers) are transformed into lush paintings which marry the personal and the political, encouraging considered and nuanced responses to moments frozen in time. Multi-layered and complex – some are underpinned by memory, whilst others are lost to the sands of time. The paintings depict moments in the lives of the Ghanaian and Sierra Leonean sides of his family. His father Bankole Timothy was from Sierra Leone, and his mother Adeline Dove – a daughter of the distinguished barrister Francis (Frans) Dove - was from Accra, Ghana.

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Biography

Arthur Timothy (b. 1957, Accra, Ghana) is an artist and architect who lives and works in London and Bath. He spent his early childhood in Freetown, Sierra Leone. His artwork has been exhibited at the Royal Academy (London), Ronchini Gallery (London) and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery (online) and Gallery 1957. It is part of important international collections including the permanent collection of ICA Miami. Timothy studied Architecture at the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield. The work of his studio has been widely published and exhibited at the Royal Academy, and Timothy’s drawings are included in the permanent collection of the V&A / RIBA Drawings Collection. In 2019, his oil paintings Adeline & Bankole Timothy (Accra), and Party Frocks were also exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Timothy, and his artwork, have been featured in a number of publications including: Apollo Magazine, The Financial Times, FT ‘How to Spend It’ Magazine, Nataal Magazine, Something Curated, Forbes Magazine, GQ; and architectural publications including Architects Journal, Building, the Sunday Times and The Observer. Arthur has also been a guest on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Saturday Live’ .

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