Robert Lenkiewicz

Robert Lenkiewicz 1941 - 2002

Robert Lenkiewicz was born in 1941 of Jewish parents who were refugees settled in England.

Lenkiwicz's formative years were spent in a small hotel in Kilburn, London where his parents supervised the care of a rather unusual clientele of elderly and frequently disturbed patrons. Lenkiewicz attributed his precocious interest in both art and philosophy to his experiences in this bizarre but rich environment, where he was "initiated into the business of living and an early awareness of death". His obsession with painting was evident at the age of nine years when he produced pictures using brushes made from his own hair. Later, he stitched together remnants of banner canvas, obtained from local stores, in order to create works of over 300 feet in length.

Robert Lenkiewicz went on to study at Saint Martin's School of Art and subsequently at the Royal Academy Schools. Then, following a period of teaching in London, he moved to the South West of England eventually settling into his parents spacious studio on Plymouth's Barbican.

Robert Lenkiewicz was a painter who worked essentially in an academic fashion, while at the same time extending the visual image, linking it closely with sociological, philosophical and aesthetic issues.

His primary interest was one of attempting to define the nature of obsessive and fanatical behaviour. Lenkiewicz's ultimate aim was the provocation of thought.

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