Born in Burma in 1920, Adrian Heath, a prominent 20th Century British painter, is renowned for his abstract and semi-abstract works in oils and acrylics. Heath moved to Dorset at the age of five and attended Bryanston School, growing up in a house adorned with works by artists like Gainsborough, Romney, and Leighton. In 1938, he studied art under Stanhope Forbes at Newlyn before attending the Slade School of Art, where he initially focused on drawing Academy-style nudes. However, his studies were interrupted by military service during WWII.

Heath served in the RAF as a tail gunner in Lancaster bombers but spent most of the war as a prisoner in Stalag 383, where he met and taught fellow prisoner and future abstract artist Terry Frost. Returning to Dorset in 1947 to complete his education, Heath then visited St Ives in 1949 and 1951, where he encountered Ben Nicholson and shifted his focus to modern life scenes.

After his studies, Heath lived in France for a time, including a year in Carcassonne and some time in Paris. His 1948 exhibition at the Museé Carcassone featured impressionist landscapes, still-lifes, and portraits. He later exhibited at the Redfern Gallery in London in 1953. Heath’s experiences in London, Paris, and Cornwall deeply influenced his work, blending romantic and classical abstraction.

Heath’s art was inspired by varied landscapes, preferring the barren scenes of the Hebrides or Spain over Southern England. Much of his work was created in remote Scottish cottages, where he found isolation and inspiration. His transition to more abstract and geometric styles in the early 1950s was influenced by modern paintings and his friendship with Victor Pasmore. Heath played a significant role in promoting abstract art in Britain and was a key figure in an avant-garde group aiming to revitalize English art post-WWII.

His Fitzroy Street studio served as both an exhibition space and a meeting place for artists, reminiscent of 19th-century French salons. In 1953, Heath published ‘Abstract Painting: Its Origins and Meaning’, discussing the development of abstract expression by early modern artists. He became an influential figure in the Constructive art movement, continually adapting his style.

In the 1960s, Heath’s compositions grew looser and larger, characterized by expressive oil strokes and geometric forms. He taught at the Bath Academy of Art (1955-1957) and the University of Reading in the early 1980s, known for his intelligence and enthusiasm in supporting students with opportunities for study.

Heath continued painting through the seventies, with his final exhibition celebrating his 70th birthday. Adrian Heath passed away in 1992 in Montmiral, France, leaving behind a significant legacy in the world of abstract art.