Last Wednesday I was privileged to attend a UK-based farewell to a friend and inspiration - Derek Boshier - in his hometown of Portsmouth. It was arranged to coincide with a naming ceremony for a newly refurbished gallery in Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery - the Derek Boshier Gallery.
I was lucky enough to know Derek for, more-or-less, the last decade of his life. I remember the specific day we first met, when I was invited for breakfast at his house through a mutual friend during a visit to LA - June 24th 2016, the day of the Brexit referendum result. An irony that this date will forever be associated for me, with Derek, as he was so fiercely global and outward-looking in his life and work. The postcard he made, below, gives you a pretty good idea of his perspective on that.
On my return from Portsmouth my wife - ever wise - said to me, “What did you learn from knowing Derek?…”
A difficult one to answer succinctly, as there was so much, but I can also give a pretty straightforward answer too. I think the main thing I learned, at least the main thing I’ll carry, is that as an artist you need to be committed to your work and to always keep moving forwards, always being open to what’s coming next.
The body of work Derek has left behind is extraordinary in, both, it’s scale and its range. At the memorial it was commented upon that even people who knew Derek his entire life probably aren’t aware of all the versions of the artist that have existed. He was quoted as having said, “Look at Picasso. He does one thing in the morning and something different in the afternoon!'“
I’ll never forget talking to Jonathan Griffin - the mutual friend that led to my breakfast invitation - and Jonathan saying, “Derek’s the most successful emerging artist you’ll ever meet.” Of course, he was making a joke, but he was also perfectly summing Derek up.
What he meant - and I can confirm as true - is that, right into his 80s, Derek retained the drive, ambition, openness and energy of an emerging artist. He never just settled into a signature style or media, then spent decades making versions of the same type of work. His work is instantly recognisable - his style is clear, evident, and everywhere - but he was always changing and always trying new things. That reference to emerging artists references the drive and energy that young artists tend to exhibit - the constant thirst for opportunity and always looking for the next thing. And Derek retained this in bucket loads.
I’ll never forget on the run up to the opening of the exhibition we had together at MOSTYN in 2019; the day before the launch Derek arrived at the gallery with a drawing he’d done in his hotel room the night before - another critique of Brexit.
“Mark, look at this. Maybe you could do a drawing too and we’ll get them printed up and sell them as an edition? What do you think?”
He then proceeded to head off into Llandudno town to find somewhere that could print up an edition of these drawings. He signed them all, then put them on sale for £15 each. £15! Can anyone point me towards another world-renowned founder of Pop Art who’d be prepared to knock out a last-minute edition for £15 each?!? (yes, of course I bought one).
But, it’s not about money, it’s not about sales, in some ways it’s not even about art - it’s about remaining interested and ever-open to innovation and change.
I feel privileged to have gotten to know Derek - someone who first came twisting into my life in Black and White sometime in the 80s, when my school art teacher (obsessed with Hockney - sorry Derek) had shown us ‘Pop Goes the Easel’. To spend a second in his orbit meant flying close to the source of the most important art movement of the past 75 years. But, as I’ve already said, Derek was anything but a relic of history, remaining vital, engaged, and forward-looking right to the end.
See you later mate. x
