Neil Stokoe

Neil Stokoe (10 December 1935 – 30 June 2019) was a British painter and teacher whose pioneering, figurative artworks often depicted psychologically charged interior spaces and modern architecture. A contemporary of David Hockney, Frank Bowling and R. B. Kitaj at the Royal College of Art (RCA), he eschewed careerism and seldom had his works exhibited. It is only recently that his work and influence have begun to gain wider public recognition.

Early life and education Stokoe was born in Bowburn, County Durham, on 10 December 1935. He developed an early interest in art while at Durham School and in 1953 entered the Sunderland College of Art (1953–57). After completing National Service with the RAF he enrolled at the Royal College of Art in 1959 (Painting, 1959–62), where he was awarded the RCA Medal for General Studies and a continuation scholarship through 1963–64.

Career From 1963, Stokoe taught at Wimbledon School of Art (later Wimbledon College of Arts), initially in Art History and then in Painting, before joining the Foundation course staff from 1966 until his retirement in 2000. He also lectured at Portsmouth Polytechnic.

Work and style Many of Stokoe’s paintings feature couples and solitary figures set within chic modern interiors, anticipating strands of modernism. Stokoe himself acknowledged the lasting influence of his friend Francis Bacon.

Selected exhibitions John Moores, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (1963; 1967) – group Clytie Jessop Gallery, London (1970) – solo Art Basel with Nicholas Treadwell Gallery (1976–77) – group Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (1994) – invited artist Pilgrim Gallery, London (2002; 2003; 2004) – solo Langham Gallery, London (2011; 2012) – exhibitions The Piper Gallery, London (2013) – solo The Redfern Gallery, London (2015) – solo Saatchi Yates, London, retrospective (2024) – solo