Duncan, Tom

Scotland, 1939

Tom Duncan was born in a mining village of Scotland. He expressed an early curiosity to artistic creation, which was encouraged by his father and aunt, who provided him recuperated material and helped craft miniature models. His family immigrated to the United States after World War II and settled in New York where he attended Art Students League and the National Academy of Design School of Fine Art. Tom worked for NYC Port Authority making architectural models. His first exhibition was organized in 1978 at Westbeth Gallery in New York. His art is highly autobiographical and is focused on two main memories: that of terrors of war and his fascination with American culture. With his installations, Tom makes a deliberate return to and reinvention of childhood marked by poverty, destruction and the feeling of helplessness. Duncan is frequently the main protagonist and depicts himself confronting the German planes.