John Randall Bratby (1928-1992), Painter and writer; Editor-in-chief of Art Quarterly

Sitter in 23 portraits
Artist of 3 portraits
Born in Wimbledon and studied at Kingston School of Art (1949-50) and the Royal College of Art (1951-4). It was for his generation of young RCA artists that the art critic David Sylvester coined the phrase 'Kitchen Sink' to describe the realism of their art. Included in the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1956. In 1957-8 he painted the pictures for the film adaptation of Joyce Cary's novel, The Horse's Mouth. He made it his task in the 1970s to paint portraits of 'names', from tycoons and businessmen to television stars. Bratby also wrote the semi-autobiographical Breakdown (1960). He became a Royal Academician in 1971.