Veteran historian, artist and cultural advocate Sir Henry Fraser has once again issued a public call for the establishment of a national art gallery, using the opening of BIM The Beautiful as a platform to highlight what he described as a long-standing national failure to support the visual arts.
Sir Henry delivered the lead address at the opening of the exhibition, hosted at Caribbean Brushstrokes Art Gallery and curated by gallery founder Rae Skinner. The show features works by 17 artists, bringing together perspectives.
In opening remarks, Skinner described the exhibition as “a celebration of our island’s vibrant culture, stunning landscapes and incredible artistic talent”, noting that the gallery’s mission was rooted in regional connection.
She referenced Kamau Brathwaite’s concept that “unity is submarine”, saying that Caribbean peoples remained deeply connected beneath the surface of geography and history.
A portrait of Brathwaite on display, painted by Canadian artist Asher Mains, underscores that cross-Caribbean and diasporic exchange.
The exhibition’s works depict everyday Barbadian life and landscape such as East Coast seascapes, cane fields and cane fires, market scenes, street vendors, schoolchildren, beach life, blackbirds and bees, capturing what Skinner described as “love letters to Barbados”.
Sir Henry, who is also a contributing artist, used his address to trace the historical depth of Barbadian visual art, countering outdated notions that the island lacked cultural substance.
He referenced early works by Samuel Coppin in the 17th century, the Robinson painting of Bridgetown, 19th century artists Stephen and Caroline Poyer and internationally successful Barbadian painter Haynes King, before moving through the artistic “explosion” of the 1960s and 1970s that produced generations of painters, sculptors and ceramicists.
Despite this legacy, Sir Henry argued that Barbados had failed to provide institutional support for visual artists.
“We have been promised a national gallery for more than 60 years,” he said. “Where is it?”
He noted that many trained artists, particularly graduates of the Barbados Community College, were forced into unrelated work due to the absence of sustained state investment in the visual arts. He described this as “a tragedy” for a country with such creative depth.
Sir Henry acknowledged the historic role of the Barbados Arts Council’s gallery at Pelican Village and the growth of private galleries over the decades, crediting Caribbean Brushstrokes as “the queen of galleries” for its scale, vision and curatorial ambition. However, he added that private initiatives could not replace national responsibility.
“Without galleries, artists are like spinning tops in mud,” he said, adding that access to serious exhibition spaces was critical to artistic development and international recognition.
Closing his address, Sir Henry questioned why significant public funding was routinely allocated to other sectors while visual art remained marginalised.
Skinner, in her closing remarks, thanked the exhibiting artists and their support networks, acknowledging the families, partners and communities who sustain artistic practice in the absence of formal structures.
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