Atkinson was born in Leamington. In 1967 he began to teach art at the Coventry School of Art[?] while producing conceptual works, sometimes in collaboration with Michael Baldwin[?]. In 1968 they, together with Harold Hurrell[?] and David Bainbridge[?] who also taught at Coventry, formed Art & Language, a group whose influence on other artists both in Britain and in the United States is widely acknowledged.
Atkinson stopped teaching at Coventry in 1973 and the following year left Art & Language. He has since exhibited under his own name, including at the 1984 Venice Biennale[?]. In 1985 he was nominated for the Turner Prize.
As of 2003, Atkinson teaches art at the University of Leeds.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump