Atkinson was born in Thurnscoe, near Barnsley, Yorkshire. He lives in Leamington Spa, England with his wife, artist Sue Atkinson, with whom he has frequently collaborated. In 1967, he began to teach art at the Coventry School of Art while producing conceptual works, sometimes in collaboration with Michael Baldwin. In 1968 they, together with Harold Hurrell and David Bainbridge who also taught at Coventry, formed Art & Language, a group whose influence on other artists both in the UK and in the United States is widely acknowledged.[1][2][3] Atkinson was founder-member (with colleagues John Bowstead, Roger Jeffs and Bernard Jennings) of the group Fine-Artz (1963), and (with David Bainbridge, Michael Baldwin and Harold Hurrell) of the group Art & Language (1968–74), two of the most influential collectives in contemporary Western art.[4][5]
In 1985 he was nominated for the Turner Prize[9] and exhibited a series of paintings, including The Stone Touchers I.
Atkinson's work is held in many collections, including the Tate Gallery.[10]
References
↑"Art & Language". Flash Art. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
