Robert Lenkiewicz
1941-2002

Robert Lenkiewicz was born in London in 1941 to Jewish refugees who ran a hotel housing Holocaust survivors. Inspired by a film about Rembrandt, he began painting at a young age and studied at Central Saint Martins and the Royal Academy, though he rejected contemporary art trends in favour of classical influences.

Motivated by Albert Schweitzer’s humanitarian ideals, Lenkiewicz opened his studio to society’s outcasts—addicts, criminals, and the homeless—who became subjects of his early work. Due to tensions with neighbours, he left London in 1964 and moved to Cornwall, later settling in Plymouth where he continued painting marginalised individuals.

In Plymouth, he converted derelict warehouses into shelters and studios. His 1973 "Vagrancy Project" and a large mural on the Barbican brought him public attention. In 1981, he faked his own death to explore the theme artistically, leading to a series on death in 1982.

By the 1990s, Lenkiewicz gained commercial and institutional recognition, including a major retrospective in 1997. He died in 2002 at the age of 60, leaving behind 10,000 paintings but only £12 in cash, having never opened a bank account and owing £2 million.

After his death, the value of his work rose significantly, with a 2008 auction of his paintings and library raising £2.1 million. His estate, eventually valued at £6.5 million, also included a £1 million book collection. He had 11 children, including artist Alice Lenkiewicz and playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz.