John Dunbar (artist)

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John Dunbar (* 1943 in Mexico City ) is a British artist , art collector and gallery owner . He was one of the leading figures in underground culture in "Swinging London" in the 1960s.

biography

Born in Mexico City, John Dunbar spent the first years of his life in Moscow , where his father, the film producer Robert Dunbar (1914–2000), worked as a cultural attaché . In 1947 the family returned to England, where John went to school. He later studied at the University of Cambridge .

At home in London and at Cambridge University , he met numerous artists and prominent art lovers, including Peter Asher , Paul McCartney and Rory McEwen . In Cambridge he also met Marianne Faithfull , whom he introduced to Andrew Loog Oldham when he was looking for a singer for As Tears Go By .

On May 6, 1965, Dunbar and Faithfull were married; she was 18, he 21 years old. They spent their honeymoon in the company of beat poets Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso in Paris . Their son Nicholas Dunbar was born on November 10, 1965.

Dunbar and Faithfull's London apartment became a meeting place for young artists. With Barry Miles , Dunbar planned to open an art gallery and bookstore. Peter Asher provided the funding, Paul McCartney helped set up. In November 1965, shortly after Nicholas was born, the Indica Gallery opened with a bookstore attached. Dunbar was in charge of the gallery, Miles was in charge of the bookstore. According to the Observer , Indica organized some of the most radical avant-garde shows in London ( Indica organizes some of the most avant-garde shows that can be seen in London ), including happenings by Yoko Ono , who first met John Lennon here .

In 1967, Marianne Faithfull left John Dunbar to be with Mick Jagger . The divorce took place in 1970. In November 1967, the Indica Gallery had to close due to financial difficulties. The bookstore had already moved in 1966. Dunbar then organized exhibitions and events for the British Council and worked as an artist.

John Dunbar later had another son, William Dunbar, with his life partner Jill Matthews.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Kevin Gough-Yates: Obituary for Robert Dunbar. The Guardian, June 6, 2000 (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d e Kate Bernard: Playing to the gallery. It's 40 years since Indica set London Swinging. The Guardian, November 5, 2006 (English)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Dunbar, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British artist, art collector and former gallery owner
DATE OF BIRTH 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Mexico City , Mexico