(1930 - 2006)
Painter and printmaker Derek Hirst attended Doncaster School of Art in 1948 and then the Royal College of Art, London from 1948 to 1951. As a student he was introduced to the work of Picasso, Braque and Léger. In 1953 he visited the Lascaux caves in France. This exposure to art from other cultures and places profound affected his own works which tend to have a strong sense of ‘place’, drawing upon environments that he has directly experienced. In 1976 Hirst was diagnosed with cancer which abruptly halted his work for eight years. Since then his work has been shown in numerous exhibitions in the UK and overseas. He has also lectured extensively and has been artist-in-residence at institutions in Sussex, Arizona and Portugal.
