Meet the artist: John Lyons
12 February 2025
John Lyons is the artist and poet behind the latest exhibition at The Box. 'Carnivalesque' is the first major survey of the contribution he's made to British art, art education and literature over the last 60 years and is filled with vibrant, dynamic paintings and a selection of his poems. Here are ten top facts about him and his career.
1
John Lyons was born and brought up in Trinidad and Tobago in 1933. He lives and works in Cambridgeshire.
2
He came to the UK to study art at the age of twenty-five, gaining a National Diploma in Design from Goldsmiths College, London (1959-64) and an Art Teacher’s Diploma from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne (1964-65).
3
In 1967 he moved to Manchester, where he worked as a secondary school art teacher for nine years, followed by 17 years as a Further Education art lecturer.
4
Lyons is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts scene who has selected for exhibitions, served on boards, judging panels, and as an external purchaser for the Arts Council Collection (1987-89).
5
He is also a prize-winning poet with eight published volumes.
6
From 1998-2004 he ran Hourglass Studio Gallery in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire with his partner Jean Rees, and from 2004-2012 he was a trustee of Hourglass Educational Arts Development Services.
7
In 2003 he received the Windrush Arts Achiever Award.
8
He has exhibited regularly in solo and group shows since 1979. Lyons was featured in Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 1950-Now at Tate Britain in 2021, and in Paint Like the Swallow Sings Calypso at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge in 2022, alongside Paul Dash and Errol Lloyd.
9
His work is held in the Arts Council Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, Kirklees Museums and Galleries and Touchstones Rochdale.
10
As well as a painter and poet he’s also a brilliant cook!
John Lyons: Carnivalesque is on display at The Box until the end of Monday 5 May. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday and selected bank holidays (except Easter Sunday). Admission is free.
Image credits
John Lyons in his studio, 2024 by Cameron Amiri.
John Lyons cooking, 2022 by Cameron Amiri.