Born in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1936, Gerald Ogilvie Laing is considered one of the most celebrated Pop Artists of his generation.

In the early 1960s he studied at Saint Martin’s School of Art, London, before moving to New York in 1963. Whilst in New York he met and worked alongside a group of emerging American artists including, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Indiana.

The 1960s was an incredibly productive time for Laing, and during this decade he attained international success as one of the major pioneers in the avant-garde art world; from paintings of film stars and astronauts to fashion models, Laing encapsulated the Pop aesthetic – the sophisticated blend of vibrancy with consumerist understanding that endures to this day.

Although a major force in the Pop Art movement, by the 1970s Laing concentrated on sculpture in minimalist forms. In 1969 he acquired Kinkell Castle, on the Black Isle in Scotland, where he established a bronze foundry to handle his own work.

At the turn of the century, Laing returned to figuration and themes from the mainstream, revisiting again the world of celebrity in a new age. His portraits of Victoria Beckham, Amy Winehouse (The Kiss) and Kate Moss are now amongst his most desired works.

Laing enjoyed exhibition success throughout his lifetime, including internationally, and his work remains in permanent collection with the Tate, Victoria & Albert Museum, National Galleries of Scotland and MoMA, New York.

He lived and worked at Kinkell until his passing in November 2011 at age 75.

Image credit: Chris Jackson and Getty Images.