Born in Birmingham, England, to Jamaican parents, Hurvin Anderson studied at the Wimbledon School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art in London. His practice emerged from a deep engagement with the visual language of painting, often drawing upon his own heritage and the cultural history of the African diaspora to inform his compositions.

Anderson is recognized for his distinctive use of color and pattern, often layering geometric grids over lush, figurative scenes of barbershops, swimming pools, and landscapes. His work frequently investigates the tension between the physical environment and the psychological experience of place, utilizing a medium that oscillates between precise detail and painterly abstraction.

In 2026, Anderson is the subject of his first major comprehensive survey at Tate Britain, an exhibition spanning three decades of his career. This retrospective highlights his evolution as a painter and includes the debut of his large-scale, multi-panel installation Passenger Opportunity, further cementing his position as a significant figure in contemporary British art.