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The history of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters dates back to the 1890’s.

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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

#callforentries: NEW OPEN CALL... The RP Drawing Prize: Revealing the Human!Submit a portrait in any style, using any technique — all interpretations of portraiture are welcome.- Open to artists around the world- Up to 120 works selected for exhibition at The University of Hull Art Gallery- £5,000 First Prize + more awardsWorks which feature in the exhibition can be available for sale and the FBA Art Consultancy will be available to manage commission enquiries.There is also the chance to win The RP Drawing Prize of £5,000, as well as other prizes and awards.Celebrating the power and versatility of drawing, the RP Drawing Prize champions creative expression and innovation, offering a unique opportunity for emerging and established artists to gain visibility. 🗓️ Submission deadline: Wednesday 20th August 2025, 5pm Thank you @parkerharriscoEntries now open.Find out more: www.therp.co.uk or go to the link in our bio. Reel: Neale Worley RP- Go to: worleyfilms.company.site/products or go via the link in his bio @nealeworley to see more from his films..#rpdrawingprize #revealingthehuman #portraitdrawing #drawingpeople #contemporarydrawing #opencall #artistopportunity #portraitart #portrait #artists #royalsocietyofportraitpainters #reel #nealeworley #films #website #purchase #watch ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

1 week ago

10 RP members are in this years @thecbpp exhibition!When?Ends this Saturday 5th JulyWhere?The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Rd, London SW9 8FR @antonywilliams1410@anastasia_pollard@miriam.escofet.artist @timbensonart@simon_davis_painter@joshuawaterhouse@jameshagueartist@alastairadamsportraits@frances_bell_paintings @samdalbyart..#RP #royalsocietyofportraitpainterss #thecbpp #exhibitions #MEMBERS #sales #commission #painting #portrait #portraits #portraitpainters #art #artistsoninstagram #OnNow #events #gogogo #exhibitionlondon #portraitart ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

1 week ago

#RP2025:We are happy to announce that A talk by Richard Ormond, independent art historian and the great-nephew of John Singer Sargent, on the artist’s charcoal portraits, is NOW ONLINE both on our website and YouTube which you can find directly on both sites or via the links in our bio!In comparison with his portraits in oil, John Singer Sargent’s charcoal portraits are relatively little known. These portraits capture the essence of British and American high society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, portraying an elite clientele that includes aristocracy, royalty, politicians, artists, writers, actors, financiers and philanthropists.-We also loaned one of Singer Sargent’s works, ‘Conrad and Reine Ormond’, from Richard Ormond for the duration of our Annual exhibition 2025. Images: @marksepplephoto (screenshots from film) & John Singer Sargent, ‘Conrad and Reine Ormond’ (close-up)..#rp #royalsocietyofportraitpainterss #annualexhibition #exhibitions #johnsingersargent #talk #richardormond #mallgalleries #sales #commission #painting #portrait #portraits #portraitpainters #art #artistsoninstagram #loan #charcoal #news #film #recording #shots #events #exhibitionlondon #portraitart ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2 weeks ago

#CallforEntries: Our Critical Writing Prize 2025 is now open for submissions!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 (2026). 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.DEADLINE: 15th December 2025, 5pmImage: Benjamin Sullivan RP, 'Kate'@benjaminsullivanrp..#portraits #writingprize #submitnow #prizes #rp #royalsocietyofportraitpainters #writing #artistofinstagram #portraitpainting #gogogo #critical #announcement #goodluck #proposals ... See MoreSee Less

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Royal Society of Portrait Painters

2 weeks ago

#RP2025:Congratulations to Jacob Skinnard for being awarded the de Laszlo Foundation Award this year with, 'Familiar Faces’ The de Laszlo Foundation award, sponsored by the de Laszlo Foundation, aims to encourage young artists.Award for an artist under thirty-five years of age judged to have submitted the best portrait. We interviewed Jacob during the PV, read more below... Q. How long have you been making art for?I’ve been drawing since the age of 4 but I didn’t get into painting until about 4 years ago. Q. And this is an oil painting?Yes, I painted it for my A Levels. Q. So this is your first time submitting with us?Yes!Q. Tell us more about your technique?This portrait is of my parents. I’ve always enjoyed painting my dad. For this painting I completed some sketches and focused on the lighting. I started off with pencil and charcoal sketches which were much smaller. As this portrait was part of my A Levels, I also completed an essay alongside it. It’s about the dynamic between the viewer and the painter and using people close to me in a familiar setting. I’m inspired by Lucian Freud for example. This is the first time I’ve painted on this scale so I didn’t really know how to attack it. I’ve always been taught with painting to start big and bold so I worked out the shapes and went from there. I am colour blind as well so you may notice the shoes are a different colour. And that’s why I really liked the transition between light and warm lighting throughout the painting, especially with the warmer lighting on his face. Q. Do you have anything you’re working on now or coming up?At the moment I am renting a studio in London. I’m doing some commissions at the moment and I feel I am seeing what it’s like to be an actual painter. The commissions started off with friends of friends and it's taken off from there. What I love about portraiture is that the viewer has its own story. Images: @marksepplephoto & Jacob Skinnard, ‘Familiar Faces’@jacobskinnard_art ... See MoreSee Less

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Full List of Portrait Painters

Royal Society of Portrait Painters