Keith Cunningham

Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1929, Keith Cunningham moved to London in 1949, studying first at the Central School of Art before earning a place at the Royal College of Art. There, he trained alongside Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and Joe Tilson, key figures in post-war British art. Painter and teacher John Minton praised Cunningham as ‘one of the most talented artists of his year’ while Auerbach described his paintings as ‘very distinguished’ and ‘full of nervous life’.

After graduating in 1956, Cunningham exhibited at the Royal Academy and the influential Beaux Arts Gallery, and was twice selected to show with the prestigious London Group.

Though praised by critics and collectors alike, Cunningham chose to retreat from the public art world, ceasing to exhibit entirely by 1967. When Cunningham passed in 2014 at the age of 85, he left behind an extraordinary body of work spanning large-scale oils, delicate pen-and-ink drawings, and lyrical sky studies in pastel and watercolour.

Cunningham walked alongside giants but chose obscurity. Upon his death Keith entrusted his life’s work to his wife, designer and Central Saint Martins professor Bobby Hillson. With immense care and reverence, she began to bring his hidden legacy into the light. The Estate is now presenting Cunningham's works through a thoughtful, controlled release.