WESTBOURNE

BERYL COOK

Beryl Cook was a British painter known for her comical depictions of people at pubs, in the shower, or sunbathing. Cook once said she preferred painting “ordinary people enjoying themselves.” Born Beryl Francis Lansley on September 10, 1926 in Egham, United Kingdom, she grew up in Reading and later became a showgirl during World War II. She went on to marry John Cook and lived in Southern Rhodesia and later Zambia during the 1960s. It was here that Cook first began to paint, attempting the figurative style of Stanley Spencer. After returning to England, the artist started to settle into the style and subject matter for which she is now known. In 1975, Cook held her first exhibition, which resulted in a cover feature in London’s Sunday Times. The artist died on May 28, 2008 in Plymouth, United Kingdom. Today, her works are held in the collections of the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, the Bristol City Museum of Art Gallery, and the Plymouth City Art Gallery, among others.