1948            Born Leicester

1966–70     Leicester College of Art

1970–72     Slade School, University College London

Since mid–1970s has lived and worked in Rougham, rural Norfolk.

The paintings Bob Billington makes do not conform to the four–sided flat model. They are in every way more complicated. The rules, procedures, templates, habits that enable them to be made do not necessarily enable one to understand them.

They have shape, colour, texture, movement and something which might best be described as ‘grip’. Bob himself dwells on blankness. The meaning of these works, were it ever to be pinned down, might sit somewhere between the artist's preoccupation with blankness and the viewer's grasp of something altogether more visceral, more ... gripping.

Two essays accompany this exhibition, and can be found on the Essays section of the selection bar above. ‘On Blankness’ is a piece of text written by Bob Billington; ‘Notes on "Volunteers"’ a piece written by his friend the artist Peter Venn.