Ken Currie, born 1960

Ken Currie was born in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, to Scottish parents. After studying social sciences in Scotland he trained as a painter at Glasgow School of Art from 1978 to 1983. Currie soon achieved prominence as a result of his assertive and graphic images of working-class life. A thoughtful political artist, he sought in his early work to highlight the plights of the whole communities, especially those that were seen as the victims of industrial and urban decay. The Glasgow shipyards, the protest march, the slums and working men's pubs have been his subjects.