Sculptor Basil Watson, CD, has been named Jamaicans.com’s 2025 Person of the Year at the 27th annual Best of Jamaica Awards, held on Friday, January 30, 2026, at the Miramar Cultural Centre in South Florida. The honour recognises Watson’s sustained excellence and his long-standing commitment to elevating Jamaican artistry on the global stage.
Speaking with Jamaicans.com following his selection, Watson grounded the honour in collective achievement rather than personal acclaim. “We are ‘Out of Many, One people’; and for the achievements of one, credit must also go to the many,” he said.
Baptized in Jamaican Artistic Heritage
Born Basil Barrington Watson on January 7, 1949, in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, Watson grew up immersed in art. He is the son of renowned Jamaican painter Barrington Watson, and his early exposure to visual storytelling would go on to shape a lifelong commitment to form, discipline and meaning.
Watson began producing sculpture in Jamaica, where he first turned to three-dimensional form as a way to expand his visual language. As he has explained, “I found sculpture as I sought to explore a more plastic vehicle of communication. The energy, vigour and emotive quality of the human figure intrigues me and this has sustained and anchored my work.” That fascination with the human form remains central to his practice, informing both his technique and subject matter.
A Kingston College Old Boy and a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Watson developed his craft within Jamaica’s formal art institutions before taking that foundation onto the international stage. What followed was a career defined by precision, scale and historical intent.
From the island’s south coast to some of the world’s most prominent civic spaces, Watson’s work has steadily placed Jamaican and Black narratives into public view. Through monumental sculpture, he has shaped how stories of struggle, leadership and achievement are preserved, insisting that these histories occupy space, endure and be treated with respect.
My Work Carries Jamaica With It
Watson, who describes art as “the harmonious expression of one’s vision of life,” is an internationally renowned artist who has spent more than 45 years translating life’s defining qualities — freedom, strength, beauty, energy and resilience — into finely crafted works. He is best known for large-scale public monuments honouring pivotal historical figures and moments.
In Jamaica, his work includes several sculptures dedicated to sport and athletics, with monuments located from Montego Bay to Kingston. Internationally, his public works can be found in major cities across the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Monument to Rosa Parks at Legacy Plaza in Montgomery, Alabama; the University of South Carolina Desegregation Monument; a bronze sculpture of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta; and the award-winning National Windrush Monument, commissioned by the UK Government in commemoration of the Windrush Generation.
Despite his global reach, Watson has consistently approached his work through a distinctly Jamaican lens. During his acceptance remarks, he made clear that distance has never weakened that connection. “Wherever my work stands in the world, it carries Jamaica with it,” he said, underscoring that national identity is embedded not only in subject matter, but in intent.
Art as Record, Responsibility and Truth
Watson’s practice is rooted in the understanding that public art carries responsibility. His work is intentional in both scale and subject, created to command space and invite engagement. Working primarily in bronze and stone, he centres histories that have often been overlooked, asserting their place within the public record with permanence and care.
Addressing the audience at the awards ceremony, Watson was direct about that responsibility. “Our stories matter. Our history matters. And it is our responsibility to ensure they are told with dignity and truth.” The remark reflects an approach that has defined his career — one grounded in accuracy, respect and cultural integrity rather than spectacle.
Recognition at the Best of Jamaica Awards
Basil Watson’s selection as Best of Jamaica 2025 Person of the Year recognises a career defined by consistency, purpose and global impact. It affirms his place among Jamaica’s most significant cultural figures and underscores the importance of artists who approach history with care, discipline and intention.
Watson accepted the honour with characteristic humility, acknowledging the network of mentors, peers and communities that shaped his path. “I accept this honour with deep humility,” he told attendees. “I stand here not alone, but on the shoulders of so many who believed in me and helped shape my journey.”
The full Best of Jamaica Awards 2025 ceremony is available to watch on our YouTube channel.
