Henry Kondracki: Joie de vivre

Henry Kondracki: Joie de vivre is an exhibition about memory.

Born and brought up in Edinburgh as a first-generation Scot to Polish parents, Henry Kondracki grew up under the influence of the American movies and cartoons that he would see in the cinemas around the city each week. Leaving school at 15, he taught himself to draw and had his first exhibition at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, when he was 17. In 1981 he went to London to study at the Byam Shaw School of Art before being accepted to the Slade School of Art. At the Slade his illustrious rollcall of tutors included Paula Rego and Bruce Mclean. Influenced by the resurgence of figurative painting in London at the time, Kondracki excelled at the Slade, winning a host of awards and exhibiting in the city for 10 years before returning to Edinburgh in the late 80s.