Henry Collins, together with his wife and artistic collaborator Joyce Pallot, formed one of the most interesting creative partnerships in British public art.
From the late 1940s onwards, the pair worked on numerous public commissions, most notably a wide range of concrete and mosaic murals for civic and commercial buildings produced during the post-war building boom of the 1960s and 70s.
The couple first met Gordon and Ursula Bowyer while creating designs and murals for the Festival of Britain, including the Bowyers’ Sports Pavilion, beginning a long friendship and occasional collaboration that would last for decades.
Born in Colchester into a working-class family, Henry Collins studied at Colchester School of Art before moving to the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, where he specialised in graphic design. His professional career began in 1935 with a poster design for London Underground, Cheap Return Fares. After serving in the war, he resumed work as a freelance designer while establishing himself as a painter and muralist.
Alongside his practice, Henry was also a dedicated educator, teaching for 25 years in the Graphic Design Department at St Martin’s School of Art, London, as well as at Colchester School of Art.
Joyce Pallot, who trained in industrial art and design at Colchester and Southend Schools of Art, shared Henry’s commitment to integrating art into everyday life. In addition to their joint public projects, she developed her own career as an industrial designer and fine artist, exhibiting in both public and private galleries.
