About Beryl Cook
Beryl Cook, OBE (10 September 1926 – 28 May 2008) was a British painter best known for her original and instantly recognisable paintings. Often comical, her works pictured people whom she encountered in everyday life, including people enjoying themselves in pubs, girls shopping or out on a hen night, drag queen shows or a family picnicking by the seaside or abroad. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until her thirties. She was a shy and private person, and in her work often depicted flamboyant and extrovert characters very different from herself. Cook admired the work of the English artist Stanley Spencer; his influence is evident in her compositions and bold bulky figures. Another influence was Edward Burra, who painted sleazy cafés, nightclubs, gay bars, sailors and prostitutes, although, unlike Burra, she did not paint the disturbing aspects of such scenes. She had an almost photographic memory. Although widely popular and recognised as one of the best-known contemporary British artists, Cook was never accepted by the art establishment. Since her death in 2008, Beryl's son John and granddaughter Sophie have run the official Beryl Cook website providing insights into her life. They remained in Africa for the next decade, where in 1960 Cook produced her first painting, Hangover. Her first book of collected works was published by John Murray in 1978, and in 1979 a film was made for LWT's The South Bank Show in which she discussed her work with Melvyn Bragg.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.