Born in 1937 in Portsmouth, England, Derek Boshier is a pop artist whose work includes the use of a variety of methods such as painting, collage, drawing, photography, film and sculpture. His work was first noted during his time studying at The Royal College of Art in London in the early 1960s during the British Pop Art Movement. His graphic work with music groups such as The Clash and David Bowie escalated his art to a broader audience.
His work is an eclectic array of mediums as he refuses to be governed by just one genre. He starred in two movies, Pop goes the Easel (1962) and Dante’s Inferno (1967). In 1964 he exhibited large shaped canvases with vibrant, evenly coloured areas. In 1966 he changed to metal, coloured plastics and neon lights to create work which represented three dimensional objects.
During the 1970s he taught at the Central School of Art and Design. He also created three films in the early 1970s. After a long gap of over 40 years, he has recently started making short films again. He has made six new short films (approximately 5 minutes in length) in the last five years. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
