The following notes are from an exhibition brochure supplied by Dave the caretaker at Rhyl Library:In 1937, at the age of four, Adrian Henri moved with his parents from his birthplace in Birkenhead to live in Rhyl. He attended St. Asaph Grammar School and subsequently took a fine arts degree in Newcastle. He taught at Manchester College of Art and Liverpool College of Art and became Assistant Director of the latter.
During his formative years in Rhyl, Adrian enjoyed the wild stretches of sandhills and the lush farming country out of town. Of the 1950s and early 1960s he said, “I did summer jobs in Rhyl’s fairgrounds, trying to support myself as a painter over the winter, painting in a little builder’s hut off Vale Road.”
Thanks Dave, and I can add that during the 'sixties Adrian became identified with the Liverpool arts scene during the Merseybeat era, and evolved into a widely exhibited painter and a frequently-published poet. He passed away in December 2000.
A week before Adrian died an exhibition of his paintings opened in Rhyl, and the night before he died Liverpool City Council conferred on him the freedom of the city.
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