John Lyons
John Lyons (b. 1933, Port of Spain, Trinidad), lives and works in Cambridgeshire, England.
Lyons moved to England in 1959 to study at Goldsmiths College, later earning an Art Teachers’ Diploma from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Over a 27-year teaching career, he maintained a prolific artistic and literary practice, exhibiting widely and publishing seven poetry collections.
His work is represented in public and private collections and has featured in major exhibitions nationally and internationally including Life Between Islands: British Caribbean Art 1950s–Now (Tate Britain, 2021–22) and No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action (Guildhall Gallery, 2016). Solo exhibitions include Carnivalesque (2024-25, The Whitworth and The Box), Mythopoeia (1997) and Behind the Carnival (1992–94).
Lyons has served on national arts panels, adjudicated major awards, and co-founded the Hourglass Studio Gallery and HEADS to promote community arts. In 2003 he received the Windrush Arts Achievement Award. His children’s poetry collection Dancing in the Rain was shortlisted for the 2016 CLiPPA Award and in 2025 won the Cholmondeley Award from The Society of Authors.
Exhibitions
John Lyons: Unmasking the Psyche, 10 June - 17 July 2022, Felix & Spear (London) (press release)
John Lyons: A Selection of Ten Works, 20 Jan - 19 Feb 2023, Felix & Spear (London)
John Lyons: The Language of Painting, 11 Sep - 2 Nov 2025, Felix & Spear (London) (press release)
Photo by Anne Purkiss
Paint Like the Swallow Sings Calypso
Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
Impressions of carnival by Paul Dash, Errol Lloyd & John Lyons in dialogue with works from The Fitzwilliam Museum & Kettle’s Yard
Several of John Lyons' works in the Kettle's Yard exhibition were also exhibited in his solo exhibition at Felix & Spear in 2022.
The Whitworth, Manchester
10 May - 25 August 2024 - The Whitworth art gallery in Manchester presents John Lyons: Carnivalesque, the first major retrospective of the work of artist and poet John Lyons (b.1933, Trinidad).
Surveying six decades of Lyons’ contribution to British art, literature and art education, the exhibition centres on his exploration of Trinidadian folklore and mythology through painting and poetry.
The Box, Plymouth
Carnivalesque features a series of Lyons' dynamic, expressive works and explores the folklore and mythology of Trinidad and Tobago, in particular the large colourful carnival that takes place there just before Ash Wednesday every year. Mysterious figures mingle with symbols and motifs including the mythical ‘jumbie bird’. Vibrant scenes are laced with uncertainty as you're invited to take a journey into Lyons' world.
The exhibition brings over 40 of his works to Plymouth, including paintings, drawings and sketchbooks. It also showcases some of Lyons’ poetry - offering a unique insight into his creative process.
The exhibition is organised by the Whitworth, The University of Manchester in collaboration with The Box. Along with a beautifully illustrated catalogue it brings greater visibility and recognition for Lyons at a timely point in his long career.
Selected Works
