The Frank Bowling Foundation, a new registered charity, will formally launch on 24 June 2026 to expand public access to the work of artist Sir Frank Bowling through exhibitions, research, archives, loans, and education programmes in the UK and internationally. Created as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2024, the Foundation has received a major gift from the artist including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and an extensive archive. Its first public initiative, 'Frank Bowling: Driven to Draw,' opens at the Royal Drawing School from 25 June to 22 August 2026, offering rare insight into Bowling's creative process and lifelong engagement with drawing.
The Foundation matters because it formalizes and extends Bowling's longstanding philanthropic commitments, including scholarship programmes at University of the Arts London and Hampstead School of Art, support for institutions like the Whitechapel Gallery and South London Gallery, and the CIRCA PIPELINE initiative that funded art supplies for state primary schools across the UK. By placing education at its core, the Foundation aims to preserve and extend Bowling's legacy as a pioneer of transatlantic abstraction, ensuring his work remains accessible and critically engaged for future generations while empowering creative talent, especially among children.