Kit Barker

Kit Barker (1916–1988) was a British painter.

Barker was born in London on 1916, the younger brother of the poet George Barker. In 1948 he married the writer Ilse Gross (1921–2006), who wrote under the pen name Katherine Talbot.

Barker served in the British Army from 1942 to 1945.

Barker lived in Cornwall from 1947 to 1948, where he and Ilse were involved with the artists' colony in St Ives.

In 1949 Kit and Ilse Barker they travelled to the USA where Kit lectured at Skidmore College in New York. Kit later taught with Hassel Smith, Elmer Bischoff and David Park at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco (1951–1952). During their time in the USA, Kit and Ilse Barker stayed at Yaddo artists' community in Saratoga Springs, New York.

From 1953 Barker lived on Bexley hill, Sussex and travelled extensively in Europe and the US.

Kit and Ilse Barker had one son, Thomas (born 1962).

Kit Barker died in West Sussex in 1988.

Barker was a self-taught artist. His influences included the surrealists – he exhibited some surrelaist paintings.

His work is found in private collections in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the United States and Germany.

Barkers works have been purchased by:

Barker had regular one man exhibitions throughout the 1960s and 1970s at: The David Paul Gallery, Chichester, Sussex; Reid Gallery, Guildford, Surrey and Century Galleries, Henley on Thames.

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