My friend George Beven, who has died aged 93, was one of Sri Lanka’s leading contemporary artists. The subjects of his paintings were almost exclusively influenced by Sri Lanka, and even though he moved to the UK in the 1950s he remained closely connected to the country of his birth.
He made a name for himself by painting with his fingers in oil, a style that defined his art. George will also be remembered for his use of colour and movement, for his vivid, captivating landscapes and for his drawings of the male form. His portraits of the expressionist dancer and choreographer Hilde Holger and Rudolf Nureyev, among others, expressed their strong personalities. His portrait of Princess Margaret can be found in Kensington Palace.
Born in Negombo, in what was then Ceylon, George was the son of Kathleen (nee Wright), a piano teacher, and Lorenz Beven, manager of a coconut estate. He went to schools in Negombo, including Maris Stella college. While still at school he sent some of his fashion drawings to the Ceylon Observer, and was offered a job. He had to decline as he was sitting for his exams, but the editor said: “Finish your schooling and then come, the job is yours.”
George studied art both in Sri Lanka and at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London. In 1958, the year he moved to Britain with his mother and sister, he had his first solo exhibition at the Royal Empire Society. He went on to have numerous exhibitions in Sri Lanka and the UK, including a retrospective at JDA Perera Gallery in Colombo last year.
In 1970, George met the dancer and choreographer Wolfgang Stange, who became his partner. Influenced by the teachings of Holger, Wolfgang believed that dance should be possible for all people and have an enriching effect. This led to the founding of a pioneering inclusive dance company in London in the early 1980s – Amici Dance Theatre Company – in whose first productions George participated directly and whose work he supported for the rest of his life.
Next to the animated Wolfgang, George was a calm presence, always elegant, friendly and polite. A friend described how, at the exhibition to mark George’s 90th birthday in Sri Lanka, “instead of taking centre stage and revelling in the attention, George was almost hidden in a corner watching the evening progress”. Despite his talent, loyalty and humility defined him.
George is survived by Wolfgang, with whom he entered into a civil partnership in 2008, and by his sister, April.
