By Alice
4th April 2019
Strike a pose! Just because we like to think forward and champion the new and contemporary, doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the classics. Portraiture was one of the earliest painting genres, and allowed some of our greatest artists, thanks to wealthy patronage, to flourish and convey their creativity and talent in a time where style and subject matter was dictated to them. Now, it has been reappropriated by contemporary artists in countless ways, without having to be flattering to a high-paying sitter…
The Many Faces of Nelly Duff's Process
Here in Nelly Duff countless portraits adorn our walls, from Pure Evil’s profiles, subverting iconic images of the famous (and their ex-spouses), to Miss Van’s imagined, seductive characters, who cast their wry smiles over the gallery. Artist Matt Small uses portraiture as a way of social commentary and as a platform, immortalising London’s unheard in emotive and textural paintings. At the other end of the spectrum, Dan Hillier takes portraits found in Victorian etchings and books, and uses a mix of collage and his own design to create brand new, wonderfully arresting macabre editions. This truly timeless genre continues to permeate the art world in all it’s forms, and is an essential part of our collection.
