The portrait bust of Alfred Fagon in Bristol by Zimbabwean artist David Matusa, has been listed as Grade II by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.
Alfred Fagon was among the most notable Black British playwrights of the 1970s and 1980s, and at the time of his death, it is thought that he was still the only Black British playwright to have had work broadcast on national television. In 1996, to mark Fagon’s contribution to theatre, radio, television and film, The Alfred Fagon Award was launched to recognise Black British playwrights in the country.
The first award was made in 1997. Alfred Fagon’s story as a 1950s immigrant whose talent led him to enrich the cultural life of this country is a notable chapter in our national cultural story. This bust, erected in 1987 in his adopted home city, is a permanent monument to him and his work. Listing celebrates this bust’s unique architectural and historical interest and gives it a form of protection for future generations.
