Latham (Born 1921 – Died 2006) was born in Zambia and later moved to Britain. Latham was a multi-talented artist. He was a painter, sculptor, conceptual artist, performance artist, video and filmmaker. The art he produced was and is still admired by many to date. Latham is a graduate of Winchester College. During the World War II, he worked in the Navy where he was in charge of a motor torpedo boat. He later studied art at the Regent Street Polytechnic and at the Chelsea College of Art and Design. In 1951, he married Barbara Steveni, his fellow artist and collaborator in Westminster. His primary medium was the spray, as can be seen in his oil painting of 1954 title Man Caught Up with a Yellow Object in the Tate Gallery collection. Latham also sawed, tore, burnt and chewed books to create collage material for his work.
He once organized a party at which guests chewed pages of Art and Culture books by Clement Greenberg; the remains were then fermented into mash then distilled and finally returned in a test-tube to the Art library of St Martin's School. Latham’s art was considered event-based and was influential in performance art. Along with other artists, he took part in the Destruction in Art Symposium in London. From 1983, the artist lived and worked at his house in Peckham (Flat Time House). He died in Camberwell at Kings College Hospital. He left behind a rich legacy that has been a source of inspiration to many artists.
