Painter of figures and landscapes in oils and gouache. Born in Sussex, he was self-taught as an artist and from 1931 to 1938 worked for the advertising agency Lintas, painting in his spare time. During the war his work was bought by WAAC and he met, and was influenced by, Sutherland, as well as Minton, Craxton and Colquhoun. In 1946 he shared a house with Minton who introduced him to Duncan Macdonald at the Lefevre Gallery and to William Johnstone. He travelled extensively throughout his life.

His first solo exhibition was at the Reid and Lefevre Gallery in 1944, where he continued to exhibit until 1952, thereafter showing at leading London galleries, in the provinces and abroad. Retrospective exhibitions include those at the Whitechapel in 1962, and the University of York in 1970. He was represented in many group exhibitions and is in many public collections including the Tate Gallery. He taught at Camberwell 1946-8, the Central School., 1948-1957, and the Slade School from 1959. In 1959 he was Resident Painter, State University of Iowa. He served on the Arts Council Advisory Panel, became an Honorary Fellow of the RAC in 1964, and CBE in 1965. Commission include murals for the Festival of Britain, 1951, and a series of lithographs for Une Saison en Enfer.

The main subject of his work was the male nude in landscape. Early influences were those of Cezanne and the English neo-romantics. Later work achieved an integration of figurative subject and liberated colour and form, reflecting his admiration for de Stael and Matisse.