John Dunkley is one of the iconic Jamaican artists from the 1930s and 40s – considered by many as a father of Jamaican art. An intuitive or self-taught artist whose work included painting and sculpture, he was born in Savanna-la-mar, south-west Jamaica; travelled and worked in Central America before returning to settle in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, working as a barber as well as an artist. He died in 1947, in his mid-50s.