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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

To promote the practice of and further excellence in painted portraiture

Royal Society of Portrait Painters

1 week ago

#2026prizewinners:Today we highlight Annual Exhibition prize winner Neale Worley NEAC RP with his portrait called 'Anthony Eyton’ for winning the RP President's Prize!-An award of £2,000 to an artwork selected by the Society’s President. You can discover the full list of winners via the link in our bio.Congratulations to all winners!It was also Anthony Eyton's 103rd birthday very recently!With a career spanning 80 years, Eyton has exhibited work around the world including in Italy, Canada and Hong Kong! In June 2023, he was awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours for services to painting and the art community.Images: Neale Worley NEAC RP, ‘Anthony Eyton’ & Mark Sepple photography@marksepplephoto@nealeworley@saraheyton ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

1 week ago

#DrawingPrizeExhibition2026:Drawing Prize: Revealing the Human 2026...OPEN CALL IS HERE!Selected works will be exhibited at the University of Hull Art Gallery, with up to 120 artworks chosen by a distinguished panel.And today we share one of last years exhibitors Phoebe Leach with their portrait titled ‘Surgical Team (Theatre 37)'..."Between 2024 and 2025, I was the resident artist in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. I began the residency by drawing whilst in theatres, sketching the multi-disciplinary team and surgical environment from life, constrained by the space and materials that logistically could be used. Observing nearly 20 operations, from spinal surgeries to craniotomies, I created over 80 drawings from life. Despite not knowing how long a surgery would take, I always stopped drawing as the operation drew to a close, capturing busy moving scenes as the theatre staff functioned around my set up outside the sterile field. Initially, I intended for the drawings to act as references for my paintings, however as I continued to draw, the collection of sketches became its own entity. After only observing a handful of operations, it became clear the message I wanted to convey: in an exceptionally sterile and clinical environment, what stood out to me was the humanity, compassion, and teamwork. It was important to capture the juxtaposition of movement occurring simultaneously within an operating theatre; moments of stillness and reflection exist in tandem with coordinated and precise actions. This work celebrates the surgical team whilst also helping patients build a narrative to understand their experiences."Submit here or link in bio: therp.co.uk/the-rp-drawing-prize/Deadline: 28th July, 5pmImage: Phoebe Leach, ‘Surgical Team (Theatre 37)'@art.phoebe ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2 weeks ago

Today we share the fourth snippet... of an Expert Panel Discussion, hosted by James Nicholls of Nicholls Art Group, on the occasion of an exhibition of Arnold Friberg paintings at the Mall Galleries. The talk is chaired by renowned curator Dr Alison Smith, with three of our RP member award winning artists Miriam Escofet, Antony Williams and Frances Bell. They talk about their work, their very particular working processes and the ideas that go into their portraits.Alison Smith was formerly lead curator at Tate Britain, chief curator of the National Portrait Gallery, and is now director of collections and research at the Wallace Collection. Miriam Escofet has won several awards, including first prize for the BP Portrait Award 2018 at the NPG, she was subsequently commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the Foreign Office. Antony Williams has won multiple awards, including the RP Ondaatje Prize twice and first prize at the HSF Portrait Award 2024 at the NPG, he was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 as part of his Ondaatje Prize. Frances Bell has won multiple awards, including the RP William Locke Prize and the prestigious Grand Draper Prize for the Portrait Society of America International Competition in 2025You can watch the full, very insightful discussion on our YouTube via the link in our bio or here: youtu.be/VsviH_zHmuwFilm: James Nicholls@james_nicholls_art Today we share the third snippet... of an Expert Panel Discussion, hosted by James Nicholls of Nicholls Art Group, on the occasion of an exhibition of Arnold Friberg paintings at the Mall Galleries. The talk is chaired by renowned curator Dr Alison Smith, with three of our RP member award winning artists Miriam Escofet, Antony Williams and Frances Bell. They talk about their work, their very particular working processes and the ideas that go into their portraits.Alison Smith was formerly lead curator at Tate Britain, chief curator of the National Portrait Gallery, and is now director of collections and research at the Wallace Collection. Miriam Escofet has won several awards, including first prize for the BP Portrait Award 2018 at the NPG, she was subsequently commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the Foreign Office. Antony Williams has won multiple awards, including the RP Ondaatje Prize twice and first prize at the HSF Portrait Award 2024 at the NPG, he was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 as part of his Ondaatje Prize. Frances Bell has won multiple awards, including the RP William Locke Prize and the prestigious Grand Draper Prize for the Portrait Society of America International Competition in 2025You can watch the full, very insightful discussion on our YouTube via the link in our bio or here: youtu.be/VsviH_zHmuwFilm: James Nicholls@james_nicholls_art ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2 weeks ago

#Callforentries:Now in its fourth year The RP Critical Writing Prize is establishing itself as an important and significant platform for new and emerging voices as well as for more established commentators...An award for new writing on any aspect of contemporary portrait painting.The prize is open to all.--Three of the applicants will be selected to submit their complete texts and awarded either the first prize of £500 or one of two ‘special mention’ prizes of £250.All three texts will be published in the RP Annual Exhibition Catalogue published in May (2027). The catalogue is a well-established document of record within the sector.One of the aims of the prize is to provide a platform for aspiring writers on the visual arts and specifically to spark intelligent conversation about the contemporary portrait.- The prize is open to all and is free to enter.- Submissions must be in the English language.- There is no age limit.- No formal education or qualification is required to apply for this prize.Find out more: www.therp.co.uk or go to the link in our bio.-Check out our past years winning essays!DEADLINE: Midnight, 2nd December 2026Image: Charlotte Sorapure, 'Echo'@charlottesorapure ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2 weeks ago

#2026prizewinners:Today we highlight prize winner Nichola-Rae Bevers with her portrait called 'Sunday Morning' for winning the Faringdon Prize!-£5,000 for the most distinguished drawing in the annual exhibition. And thank you Faringdon.You can discover the full list of winners via the link in our bio.Congratulations to all winners!Images: Nichola-Rae Bevers, 'Sunday Morning' & Mark Sepple photography @marksepplephoto ... See MoreSee Less

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