Trevor Denning

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Biography

Denning was born in Moseley, Birmingham,cite book|last=Buckman|first=David|title=Artists in Britain Since 1945|year=2006|publisher=Art Dictionaries Ltd|location=Bristol|isbn=095326095X|pages=1291|chapter=Trevor Denning ] studying painting and graphics at the Birmingham School of Art from 1938 to 1942 and teaching there (from 1971 the Faculty of Art of Birmingham Polytechnic) between 1945 and 1985. [cite book|editor=Watkins, Jonathan; Stevenson, Diana|title=Some of the best things in life happen accidentally: the beginning of Ikon|year=2004|publisher=Ikon Gallery|location=Birmingham|isbn=1904864023|pages=123|chapter=Biographies - Trevor Denning]

In 1947 he was one of the founders of the Birmingham Artists Committee [cite book|last=Denning|first=Trevor|editor=Sidey, Tessa|title=Surrealism in Birmingham 1935-1954|origdate=1951-10-22|year=2001|publisher=Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery|location=Birmingham|isbn=0709302355|pages=86|chapter=Birmingham Artists Committee] and in 1961 he organised the "Four Letter Art" exhibition at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, having been elected a member the year before. [cite book|author=Stevenson, Diana|editor=Watkins, Jonathan; Stevenson, Diana|title=Some of the best things in life happen accidentally: the beginning of Ikon|year=2004|publisher=Ikon Gallery|location=Birmingham|isbn=1904864023|pages=113|chapter=Interview - Trevor Denning] Although there was no organisational link, Denning's work exhibiting contemporary art in the city was acknowledged as an influence by the artists who founded the Ikon Gallery in 1964, and he held a solo exhibition at the gallery two years later. [cite book|author=Watkins, Jonathan|editor=Watkins, Jonathan; Stevenson, Diana|title=Some of the best things in life happen accidentally: the beginning of Ikon|year=2004|publisher=Ikon Gallery|location=Birmingham|isbn=1904864023|pages=36-38|chapter=Some of the best things in life happen accidentally] Denning is also a published expert on Spanish playing cards. He was made the first Member of Honour of the "Asociación Española de Coleccionismo e Investigación del Naipe" in 1989 and in 1993 won the Modiano Prize for research into the history of playing cards.

References