Beryl Cook

Widely popular, Cook was known as one of Britain’s most famous artists.

Beryl Cook, OBE (10th September 1926 – 28 May 2008) was a British artist best known for her original and instantly recognizable paintings. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until her thirties. Cook admired the work of the English artists Stanley Spencer and Edward Burra.

Upon Beryl’s death in Plymouth, the Peninsula Arts of Plymouth University mounted a major retrospective in November 2008. Two books devoted to her were published: Beryl Cook 1926- 2008 and The World of Beryl Cook. In 2010, two of her paintings were used as part of the Rude Britannia exhibition at the Tate Britain. Beryl Cook’s paintings have been acquired by the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Plymouth Art Gallery and Durham Museum. Beryl’s work has been bought by private collectors all over the world, including Jackie Collins (Collins collection was later sold at Sotheby’s), Whoopi Goldberg, and Yoko Ono, to name a few.