John Kirby Man with a White Cat, 1995

Born in Liverpool in 1949, John Kirby (1949-2025) studied at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in London, following his service in a Calcutta children's home headed by Mother Theresa and time as a social worker. With his Catholic background a strong influence in his practice, since the 1980s Kirby has tackled the complexities of gender, sexuality, and race through arresting and disquieting portraiture. While many of his works are sublimated self-portraits, others nod to religious and cultural iconography or act as coded memories of his own family in a surrealist style that has drawn comparisons to Magritte, Hopper, and Balthus.

In 2012, Kirby presented a major solo exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, supported by the short film Son of Liverpool. John Kirby has exhibited extensively internationally, and his works are held in public collections including Tate and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.