Born in Burma, Adrian Heath moved to England aged five, eventually attending Newlyn School of Art, where he was taught by Stanhope Forbes, and the Slade School of Fine Art (1939, 1945-47). Heath served in the Royal Air Force in World War II and was a prisoner of war for several years. During this time, he met fellow detainee Terry Frost (1915-2003) and taught Frost to paint.
Heath's first solo exhibition was held at the Museé Carcassone, France in 1948. He exhibited at Redfern Gallery and Hanover Gallery in London in the decades that followed and throughout Europe during his lifetime.
A committed teacher, Heath taught at the Bath Academy of Art from 1955 to 1957 and at the University of Reading from 1980 to 1985. He was Chairman of the Artists’ International Association between 1955 and 1964 and sat on the panel of the Arts Council from 1964 to 1967.
His work is included in many public collections and museums, including the Tate Collection; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Whitworth Gallery, Manchester; and the Hirschhorn Museum, Washington.
