Errol Lloyd
Errol Lloyd is an artist, writer and art critic who was born in Jamaica in 1943. He moved to London in 1963 to study law but went on to establish a career as an artist and creative commentator. Lloyd is entirely self-taught and his practice includes sculpture, painting and illustration. An active member of the Caribbean Artists Movement, Lloyd also undertook numerous commissions to create busts of notable figures such as, for example, Sir Alexander Bustamante (Prime Minister of Jamaica), John La Rose (writer and publisher) and Lord Pitt (politician).
Lloyd has designed cover art for numerous books, notably for Bogle-L’Ouverture (as well as for the other pioneering black-owned publishers New Beacon Books and Allison & Busby), as well as having his paintings featured on greetings cards. He produced the illustration for the cover of Walter Rodney’s The Groundings With My Brothers (1969), the first title published by Bogle-L’Ouverture. Lloyd also worked with other publishers including Random House, Penguin Books and Oxford University Press. His novel for teenagers, Many Rivers to Cross (1995), was nominated for a Carnegie Medal. His involvement in Black British arts and activism is both prolific and far-reaching, as is demonstrated by his diverse ability that ranges from portraying notable Black figures in monumental busts to creating sensitive book illustrations. His work expresses his commitment to celebrating and advancing creativity, whether through his own artistic practice or through writing and academia supporting other artists.
Errol Lloyd’s work has been exhibited in many significant galleries throughout his career, from group shows at the Commonwealth Institute London (1971) and Leicestershire Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester (1986) to Transforming the Crown: African, Asian and Caribbean Artists in Britain, 1966 – 1996 (1997) at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York. His work was shown alongside fellow Caribbean Artist Movement participants such as Winston Branch, Aubrey Williams and Ronald Moody. A solo exhibition of Lloyd’s work took place at the Jamaican High Commission, Kingston, Jamaica in 1978. He has undertaken countless other artistic pursuits, including serving as editor of the Minorities' Arts Advisory Service (MAAS) magazine, Artrage, teaching painting at the Camden Arts Centre and sitting on the Visual Arts Panel for Arts Council England.
Errol Lloyd (b. 1943)
The Lesson, 1972
Born in Jamaica, Lloyd travelled to London in 1963, where he studied law. A self -taught artist, he was an active member of the Caribbean Artists Movement. He later became a strong advocate for cultural equity in the British arts sector.
Oil on canvas
On loan from the artist
Errol Lloyd (b. 1943)
Notting Hill Carnival, 1988
Lloyd was one of the earliest Caribbean artists to depict the Black British experience in Britain, both in his paintings and his work as a children’s book author and illustrator.
Oil on canvas
On loan from the artist