Graham Dean. Becoming Visible
GRAHAM DEAN — Becoming visible
“A master of his craft; Dean is one of the country's most innovative and exciting painters in watercolour”
PRIVATE VIEW
Friday 10th April, 5 – 8pm
EXHIBITION DATES
Saturday 11th April – Sunday 10th May 2026
SALES ENQUIRIES
Please contact the gallery to reserve or purchase any of the paintings
🔴 SOLD
🟢 RESERVED - please check with the gallery as the artwork may become available
exhibition
about graham dean
EDUCATION
Born 1951, Birkenhead Merseyside
1968-70 Laird School of Art Birkenhead
1970-73 Bristol Polytechnic, Faculty of Art and Design
Selected Collections
V&A Museum Watercolour Collection
Anita and Gordon Roddick Collection
The Arts Council
Glasgow Museum of Modern Art
National Gallery of Jamaica
Scheringa Museum of Realist Art - Holland
Financial Services Authority – London
David Gefen - Los Angeles
Williamson Museum and Art Gallery Birkenhead
Arts Council
Southern Arts
Musik und Kongresshalle - Lubeck
Forbes Foundation - New York
Omer Koc Collection – Istanbul
ING Art Collection - Amsterdam
Omar Koc Art collection- Istanbul Selected Collections
Selected Solo Shows
2004 Art of the 20th Century, Armoury, New York
2006 “Above and Below” Galerie Frans Jacobs, Paris and Amsterdam
2010 ‘Sleepers’ Waterhouse and Dodd, London
2010 Artantique Utrecht, The Netherlands
2011 The Basilica , Maastricht, Netherlands
2012 Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead. 60th birthday exhibition
2012 Victoria Art Gallery and Museum, Bath
2012 Waterhouse and Dodd, London. ‘Fitter, Quicker, Longer’
2014 Mid-Century Modern solo show, Hoorn, Holland
2014 Van Breugel Art Projects, Utrecht, Holland. Solo show
2015 Gallery 874 Atlanta, Georgia
2016/17 Synthetic Colour, Qingdao Biennale at the Qingdao Museum, China
2016 Solo Exhibition, Cameron Contemporary Art
2020 Darnley Fine Art, London, Early Works Retrospective
2021 Waterhouse and Dodd London Viewing Room Online exhibition
2021 Zephyr and Maize New York various Online exhibitions
2021 Waterhouse and Dodd, New York
2021 Sense of Intimacy, Modern Fine Art , New York
2024 Hidden Places, Brighton and Hove, Cameron Contemporary Art
2026 Becoming Visible, Brighton and Hove, Cameron Contemporary Art
Over the course of his remarkable career, Graham Dean has become one of the country’s most important artists working in watercolour.
His award-winning paintings are in many national and international public collections, including the V&A Museum, Williamson Museum and Art Gallery, Scheringa Museum of Realist Art, National Gallery of Jamaica, Qingdao Art Museum, China, Ferens Museum and Art Gallery, and the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art. Dean’s paintings are on book covers, album covers and even recently took a starring role in the Netflix series The Beast in Me.
His ground-breaking use of watercolour paint produces visceral, thought-provoking images. In a recent interview he explained a little of his working method. “I often think that painting or perhaps the best painting comes from somewhere else, somewhere not prescribed. It's not that I'm not in the control of what is happening but I'm laying down the foundations for the chance element to create something I haven't thought of. It's learning to go with the flow of the work and not fight against it. The water is the fuse between the two figures, an exchange of personal feelings. Again, it's this notion of trying to put what's on the inside onto the outside. I believe this is an essential element to all my work”
From his studio in Brighton, Dean continues to work every day with undiminished enthusiasm - always challenging himself and pushing boundaries. In 2023 the Bridgeman Library recognised his unique talent and wrote “His influence extends globally, making him as a significant figure for art enthusiasts, critics, and budding artists”