Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1904 Ceylon

Died: 1988 Sri Lanka

Year of Migration to the UK: 1923

Other name/s: Charles Henry Alfred Pieris

Biography

Painter Harry Pieris was born Charles Henry Alfred Pieris into a wealthy land-owning family on 10 August 1904 in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), eighth of the eleven children of Henry (‘Harry’) Pieris and Lydia de Mel. De Mel was the daughter of Lakshapathiya Mahavidanalage Jacob De Mel, a pioneering mining industrialist and benefactor, widely recognised as one of Ceylon's most successful business leaders. De Mel’s family lineage is thought to be traced as far back as 1534, with records indicating their involvement in the court of King Parakramabahu VI, the king of the Sinhalese kingdom that thrived in Sri Lanka in the 15th century. The family was baptised in the 17th century with the arrival of the Portuguese. Pieris began his artistic training at the Atelier School of Art, studying under the guidance of Mudaliyar and OBE (a Ceylonese colonial title during Portuguese and British rule) A. C. G. S. Amarasekara. Recognising that Pieris would gain more from additional instruction and moving beyond the academic tradition, Amarasekara recommended Pieris seek education internationally.

Pieris spent approximately a decade in Europe, a formative period that ultimately positioned him as one of the foremost Asian portraitists working within the European tradition. In 1923, he immigrated to London and enrolled at the Royal College of Art at the age of 19 and graduated in 1927. The principle at the time, Sir William Rothenstein, was the first to notice his skill in portrait painting and guided him in that direction. In 1926, Pieris won a prize for the best portrait, depicting his uncle, Sir James Pieris. After graduation, Pieris returned to Ceylon until 1929, before leaving for Paris, as suggested by Rothenstein, where he remained for six years, painting under the guidance of Robert Falk. While in Paris, Pieris developed a close relationship with Henri Matisse and his family, socialised with Henri Cartier-Bresson and worked at the Atelier de la Chaumière and at two small galleries. He frequently met in Paris or London with Sinhalese painter Justin Daraniyagala, who was also studying art in Europe. Pieris attended meetings of the Friends of Tagore Institute in Paris and decided to volunteer at Tagore's Abode of Peace in Shantiniketan, India where he taught. Rothenstein was able to recommend him for the position, given his close links with Tagore, and Pieris spent two and a half years there, before returning to Ceylon in 1935, assuming responsibility for managing his family's estates, while also pursuing a career as a portrait artist.

Alongside other Sri Lankan artists - many of whom received their art education in London - Pieris founded the ‘43 Group, a modern art collective that, among other concerns, adapted European modernism into a uniquely Sri Lankan form of modernist art. In 1952, Pieris’ pieces were included in an exhibition of Singalese paintings at the Imperial Institute Galleries in London's South Kensington. A review in the Kensington News and West London Times, focusing on the contributions of the 43 Group, and written with an uncritical imperialist perspective, stated that the group’s aim was ‘to blend their own ancient Buddhist artistic traditions with the possibly more developed technical skills of the western world,’ while lamenting the amount of influence of Matisse and Picasso and noting the artists’ abilities to convey ‘primitive emotions’ (B.N., 1952, p. 3). Pieris’ was one of two exhibiting artists mentioned by name: ‘Of the more orthodox pictures, one that particularly impressed me was the portrait of Kurini Ponnasmy by Harry Pieris. The dark background and the half-closed eyes of the subject give this painting a subtle touch of the mystic orient which many Englishmen attach to Eastern women,’ (B.N., 1952, p. 3).

In the 1950s, Pieris travelled to the United States and China, experiences which further shaped his artistic practice. He also taught, alongside his own practice. His body of work is varied, spanning from academic and traditional pieces to more experimental ones, often drawing on influences from Buddhist art, Indian and Sri Lankan traditions, and European, especially Parisian, modernism. In portraiture, instead of simply flattering his sitters, Pieris sought to depict their true character and essence, a choice that frequently led to the return of commissioned pieces. Pieris read widely on philosophy, theosophy, literature, poetry, Buddhist frescoes in southern temples, and anti-colonial and left-leaning politics. Pieris spent most of his life living and working in Sri Lanka. In 1974, he set up the Sapumal Foundation with the aim of supporting education and cultural activities as well as offer relief for poor students. His artworks, art collection, artefacts, library and furniture were all given to the foundation on his death. Harry Pieris died in Sri Lanka on 14 March 1988. His works are not part of any public collection in the UK.

Related books

Rohan De Soysa, Supplement to the Sapumal Foundation (Colombo: The Sapumal Foundation, 2018)
The Sapumal Foundation, Harry Pieris – 1904-1988 (Colombo: The Sapumal Foundation, 2004)
Neville Weereratne, 43 Group: A Chronicle of Fifty Years in the Art of Sri Lanka (Victoria: Lantana Publishing, 1993)
George Keyt Foundation, Modern Sri Lankan Painters (Colombo: Siri Printers, 1992)
Robert Furneaux Jordan, 6 Contemporary Ceylonese Painters (London: Artists International Association, 1954)
B.N., ‘Singalese Paintings at the Imperial Institute Galleries’, Kensington News and West London Times, 12 December 1952, p. 3

Related organisations

Group 43 (member)
Royal College of Art (student)

Selected exhibitions

Exhibition of the ’43 Group and Other Artists by The Taprobane Collection (group show), Nelum Arts Centre, Colombo (2017)
Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Harry Pieris (solo exhibition), The Sapumal Foundation, Barnes Place, Colombo (1984)
43 Group 16th Exhibition (group show), The Art Gallery/Guildford Crescent, Colombo (1967)
43 Group 14th Exhibition (group show), The Art Gallery/Guildford Crescent, Colombo (1964)
43 Group 13th Exhibition (group show), The Art Gallery/Guildford Crescent, Colombo (1959)
The 28th International Biennale (group show), Venice Biennale, Venice (1956)
Exhibition of Contemporary Painters from Ceylon (group show), Heffer Gallery, Cambridge (1954)
6 Contemporary Ceyloneses Painters (group show), Artists International Association Gallery, London (1954)
Exposition de L’Art Contemporain De Ceylon (group show), Paris (1953)
Singalese Paintings (group show), Imperial Institute Galleries, London (1952)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Harry Pieris]