Cliff Holden
- April 20, 2020
- 100 years
About Cliff Holden
Cliff Holden, 100, English painter, designer and silk screen printer.
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Full Biography
|Cliff Holden FCSD (12 December 1919 – 20 April 2020) was a British painter, designer, and silk-screen printer.
Holden was born in Manchester, England in December 1919 and educated at Wilmslow Modern School, followed by Reaseheath School of Agriculture, where he studied agriculture and veterinary science.
In 1944, Holden met David Bomberg (1890–1957) at the City Literary Institute in London.
In 1945, Holden followed Bomberg to Borough Polytechnic.
There Holden founded the Borough Group in 1946 together with other pupils of Bomberg.
The purpose of the group was to develop the ideas of Bomberg who taught at Borough Polytechnic during the 1940s and 1950s, and was the leading light of the movement.
Holden was first president of the group during 1946–48, as suggested by Bomberg, after which Bomberg became president and the group extended to 11 members, among them Dennis Creffield. The group was active until 1951.
Holden met the Swedish artist Torsten Renquist and Renquist invited him to exhibit in Sweden. From 1956, he lived in Sweden and his artworks are also in collections there.
Holden was a member of the London Group. He was a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and the Free Painters and Sculptors. He was also a design associate of the American Institute of Interior Designers. He received an honorary doctorate from London South Bank University in 2006.
The collections of the Arts Council, Manchester City Art Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Tate Britain, Victoria and Albert Museum include work by Holden.
He died in April 2020 at the age of 100.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Holden
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Cliff Holden's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Cliff Holden born?
- A.Manchestercorrect
- B.Liverpool
- C.Birmingham
- D.London
Cliff Holden was born in Manchester, England in December 1919.
Source: early life section
2.What subjects did Cliff Holden study at Reaseheath School of Agriculture?
- A.Fine arts and sculpture
- B.Literature and history
- C.Physics and mathematics
- D.Agriculture and veterinary sciencecorrect
Cliff Holden attended Reaseheath School of Agriculture where he studied agriculture and veterinary science.
Source: education section
3.In what year did Cliff Holden meet David Bomberg at the City Literary Institute?
- A.1946
- B.1948
- C.1942
- D.1944correct
Cliff Holden met David Bomberg at the City Literary Institute in London in 1944.
Source: career beginnings
4.Cliff Holden helped found which artistic group in 1946?
- A.The Swedish Modernists
- B.The Manchester Collective
- C.The Borough Groupcorrect
- D.The London Group
Cliff Holden founded the Borough Group in 1946 together with other pupils of David Bomberg.
Source: Borough Group section
5.Who suggested that Cliff Holden should be the first president of the Borough Group?
- A.Torsten Renquist
- B.David Bombergcorrect
- C.Dennis Creffield
- D.Peter Richmond
Cliff Holden was the first president of the group during 1946–48, as suggested by David Bomberg.
Source: Borough Group section
6.Which Swedish artist invited Cliff Holden to exhibit his work in Sweden?
- A.Peter Richmond
- B.David Bomberg
- C.Torsten Renquistcorrect
- D.Dennis Creffield
Cliff Holden met the Swedish artist Torsten Renquist, who invited him to exhibit in Sweden.
Source: later career section
7.In what year did Cliff Holden start living in Sweden?
- A.1951
- B.1946
- C.1956correct
- D.1960
From 1956, Cliff Holden lived in Sweden.
Source: later career section
8.Cliff Holden was a design associate of which organization?
- A.The Royal Academy of Arts
- B.The American Institute of Interior Designerscorrect
- C.The Chartered Society of Designers
- D.The British Council of Arts
Cliff Holden was a design associate of the American Institute of Interior Designers.
Source: professional memberships
9.Which university awarded Cliff Holden an honorary doctorate in 2006?
- A.University of Manchester
- B.Reaseheath University
- C.University of London
- D.London South Bank Universitycorrect
Cliff Holden received an honorary doctorate from London South Bank University in 2006.
Source: awards and honors
10.Which institution holds Cliff Holden's work in its collection?
- A.The National Gallery
- B.The British Museum
- C.The Louvre
- D.Tate Britaincorrect
The collections of the Tate Britain include work by Cliff Holden.
Source: collections section
11.At what age did Cliff Holden pass away?
- A.102
- B.100correct
- C.95
- D.98
Cliff Holden died in April 2020 at the age of 100.
Source: death section
12.Until what year was the Borough Group active?
- A.1956
- B.1951correct
- C.1958
- D.1948
The Borough Group was active until 1951.
Source: Borough Group section
13.Besides being a painter, what other professional trade did Cliff Holden hold?
- A.Photographer
- B.Sculptor
- C.Silk-screen printercorrect
- D.Architect
Cliff Holden was an English painter, designer and silk-screen printer.
Source: introduction
14.Who was one of the other 11 members of the Borough Group mentioned in the text?
- A.Torsten Renquist
- B.Dennis Creffieldcorrect
- C.Edna Mode
- D.Arthur Richmond
Dennis Creffield was one of the 11 members of the Borough Group.
Source: Borough Group section
15.What school did Cliff Holden attend before attending Reaseheath School of Agriculture?
- A.Borough Polytechnic
- B.Manchester Art Academy
- C.Wilmslow Modern Schoolcorrect
- D.London City School
Cliff Holden was educated at Wilmslow Modern School, followed by Reaseheath School of Agriculture.
Source: education section
16.Cliff Holden held which professional fellowship?
- A.Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designerscorrect
- B.Fellow of the Tate Gallery
- C.Fellow of the Arts Council
- D.Fellow of the Royal Society
Cliff Holden was a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and the Free Painters and Sculptors.
Source: professional memberships
People who died on April 20
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