A new exhibition of Frank Bowling's work traces the artist's early struggle to find his voice within the rigid artistic categories of the 1960s. The show features paintings from his student days in London, where he grappled with expectations to be either a political 'Black artist' or a formalist 'artist' free from identity constraints, resulting in works that felt derivative of figures like Francis Bacon.
The review argues that this period of conflict was essential, leading Bowling to a breakthrough. His move to New York and subsequent reinvention under the influence of critic Clement Greenberg allowed him to synthesize abstraction with personal and political experience, ultimately forging a unique and liberated path that defied the either/or binaries of his time.