ian pollock

Ian Pollock was born in Cheshire in 1950. The son of Gordon Pollock, traditional clay pipe manufacturer. Eleven-plus failure, bitter, twisted and no-hoper. BA First Class Honours, Manchester Polytechnic. MA Honours, Royal College of Art.

Since leaving the Royal College of Art in the 1970s Pollock has been at the forefront of contemporary British Illustration. His anarchistic and uncompromising approach to his subject matter has made him a highly respected illustrator both in the UK and the international arena. He was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts from Wolverhampton University.

Pollock has worked for most major magazines and newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic. Notable commissions include Posters for the Royal Shakespeare Company and The London Dungeon and a set of postage stamps, 'Tales of Terror', for the Royal Mail. He has numerous illustrated books to his credit, most noteworthy being an illustrated cartoon version of Shakespeare's King Lear for Oval Projects, Milton's Paradise Lost for the Folio Society, and The Brothers of the Head by Brian Aldiss.

He has lectured in colleges of art throughout the country and has enjoyed numerous one-man exhibitions including a retrospective show of his graphic work at the Littleton Theatre on the South Bank; and, most recently 'The Miracles and Parables of Christ' and 'Pollock's New Testament' at the European Illustration Collection Gallery Hull (EICH Gallery).

After living in London for 20 years Pollock, now in his twilight, lives a quasi-bucolic existence in Macclesfield tending his giant hogweeds, taking on the odd commission and continuing his acerbic and mischievous illustrations of the Bible.

'He's one of those rare animals that have opted to be free'.. De Guiche - Cyrano de Bergerac