CV OF EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, UK | 08 November 2024 - 13 April 2025
Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK | 24 October 2024 - Spring 2025
Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood, Guildford House Gallery, Guildford, UK | 06 July - 28 September 2024
The Makers: Portraits from Backstage, National Theatre, London, UK | 27 January - 04 November 2023
Something Unspoken, 45 Park Lane, Dorchester Collection, London, UK | 03 November 2021 - 22 January 2022
Group exhibitions
Fragile, Bird & Carrot Productions and Tsukanov Family Foundation, The Bomb Factory Art Foundation, London | 2024
ING Discerning Eye (Invited Artist), Mall Galleries, London | 2024
Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2024
Society of Graphic Fine Art 103rd Annual Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2024
Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unspoken (The John Ruskin Prize), Trinity Buoy Wharf, London | 2024
The Pastel Society 125th Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2024
Works on Paper, The Gallery at Green & Stone, London | 2024
Guildford House Open, Guildford House Gallery, Guildford | 2023-24
Out of Town: Society of Graphic Fine Art, The Gallery, Holt, Norfolk | 2023
Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Decade, National Portrait Gallery, London | 2023
RBSA Drawing Prize, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham | 2023
Babington House Art Fayre, Soho House, Somerset | 2023
Nothing On: An Exploration of the Contemporary Nude in Art, Spread Gallery, Chelmsford | 2023
Drawing (Paper) Show, Bridewell Studios & Gallery, Liverpool | 2023
The Pastel Society 124th Annual Exhibition (Invited Artist), Mall Galleries, London | 2023
Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2023
The World Reimagined, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich | Until late August 2023
Life Stories: Intertwined Tales from the Life Room, Islington Arts Factory, London | 2023
Society of Graphic Fine Art 102nd Annual Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2023
Taking Pride In Art, Capital Group, 40 Grosvenor Place, London | 2023
Royal Society of British Artists Bicentennial Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2023
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, ArtHouse Jersey, St Mary, Jersey | 2023
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Basingstoke | 2023
A Sense of Place, Bermondsey Project Space, London | 2022
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London | 2022
The World Reimagined, National Art Project, London and UK | 2022
Crystal Palace Artists’ Open House, London | 2022
Wells Art Contemporary (WAC), Wells Cathedral, Somerset | 2022
Winners: Award Winning Artists 2020-2022, Mall Galleries, London | 2022
The Colour and Shape, The Gallery, Holt, Norfolk | 2022
UK Coloured Pencil Society Annual Exhibition, Online | 2022
Queer Frontiers, 7-9 Walker’s Court, London I 2022
MUFG Pride Exhibition, MUFG EMEA Headquarters, 25 Ropemaker St, London | 2022
Contemporary British Portrait Painters: The 2022 Exhibition, The Department Store, Brixton | 2022
The Derwent Art Prize, 35 rue Debelleyme, Paris | 2022
Society of Graphic Fine Art 101st Annual Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2022
Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2022
Portrait Artist of the Year: The Exhibition, Compton Verney, Warwickshire | 2022
The Derwent Art Prize, gallery@oxo, London | 2022
The Pastel Society 123rd Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2022
UK Coloured Pencil Society 20th Anniversary Gala Exhibition, Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London | 2021
Figurative Art Now, Mall Galleries, London | 2021
The Pastel Society 122nd Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2021
Society of Graphic Fine Art Centenary Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London | 2021
The Self-Portrait Prize 2021, Ruth Borchard Collection, Online | 2021
The British Art Prize, Artists & Illustrators, Online | 2021
Crystal Palace Artists’ Open House, London | 2020
‘Thread & Ink’, The Paxton Centre, Crystal Palace, London | 2019
Awards and prizes
Winner, President’s Award, Society of Graphic Fine Art | 2024
Winner (First Prize), The John Ruskin Prize | 2024
Longlist, The Aesthetica Art Prize | 2024
Winner, The Tom Coates Memorial Prize, The Pastel Society | 2024
Winner, Drawing with a Dry-Based Medium Award, The Gallery at Green & Stone and St Cuthberts Mill | 2024
Winner, Guildford House Open | 2023
Highly Commended, RBSA Drawing Prize | 2023
Shortlist, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize | 2022
Winner, St Cuthberts Mill Award, Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) | 2022
Shortlist, The Derwent Art Prize | 2022
Winner, The Anthony J Lester Art Critic Award, The Pastel Society | 2022
Winner, The Frank Herring & Sons Award, The Pastel Society | 2022
Highly Commended, UK Coloured Pencil Society | 2021
Highly Commended Award, Society of Graphic Fine Art | 2021
Longlist, The Self-Portrait Prize, Ruth Borchard Collection | 2021
Highly Commended, The British Art Prize | 2021
Longlist, Jackson’s Painting Prize | 2021
Winner, Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, Series 7 | 2020
Collections
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK | 2023
National Theatre, London, UK | 2023
Little House Balham, Soho House, London, UK | 2022
40 Greek Street, Soho House, London, UK | 2021
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK | 2020
International private collections
Residencies
Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds | 2023 -24
National Theatre, London | 2022-23
Professional experience and memberships
Selector, Guildford House Open | 2024
Honorary Member, Hesketh Hubbard Art Society | 2024
Judge, The Cass Art Prize | 2024
Member, The Pastel Society (PS) | 2024 - Present
Selector, The Derwent Art Prize | 2024
Selector, Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) | 2023
Advisor, Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit exhibition, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester | 2022
Judge, Jackson’s Painting Prize | 2022
Judge, The Big Draw Festival | 2022
Associate Member, The Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA) | 2021 - Present
Member, Contemporary British Portrait Painters (CBPP) | 2021 - Present
Derwent Artist Ambassador | 2021 - Present
Broadcast
Artist, Portrait Artist of the Decade, Sky Arts | 2023
Artist Presenter, Schools hub ‘Artist Demonstration’ video series, National Portrait Gallery | 2023
Artist Mentor, Blue Peter, BBC One and CBBC | 2023
Artist Presenter, Portrait Masterclass with Curtis Holder (5 episodes), Sky Arts ‘Access All Arts’ Week | 2023
Guest Artist, Sunday Brunch, Channel 4 | 2023
Artist Mentor, Portrait Artist of the Year: Celebrity Christmas Special, Sky Arts | 2022
Artist Interview, Portrait Artist of the Year - Series 9, Sky Arts | 2022
Artist Interview, Inside Art: Glyn Philpot at Pallant House, Sky Arts | 2022
Artist Interview, Portrait Artist of the Year: The Exhibition, Sky Arts | 2022
‘Visual Arts - Seeking our Spaces’, Kiss My Black Side podcast, Sadler’s Wells | July 2022
Artist Judge, The Island, Dave, UKTV | 2022
‘Portrait Artist of the Year: Curtis Holder’, That’s Not My Age podcast | March 2021
Artist Presenter, Portrait Artist of the Week - Series 3, Sky Arts | 2021
Artist & Winner, Portrait Artist of the Year - Series 7, Sky Arts | 2020
Teaching, talks and events
Sketching Portraits: Spotlight Session, V&A Academy | 2024
Panelist, Children’s Press Conference, National Portrait Gallery | 2023
Sketching Portraits: Spotlight Session, V&A Academy | 2023
Portrait making with Curtis Holder, Soho House Summit 2023, Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire | 2023
Self-portrait workshop with Curtis Holder and Kate Bryan, National Theatre, London | 2023
Keynote Speaker, Queer Heritage and Collections Network Symposium, Queer Britain, London | 2023
Children's self-portrait workshop, National Theatre, London | 2023
‘The Final Portrait: Live-draw with Curtis Holder and Clint Dyer’, National Theatre, London | 2023
‘Saw This_Made This’ Portrait Series, Soho House | 2023
Sketching Portraits: Spotlight Session, V&A Academy | 2022
Guest Speaker, ‘Using All the Colors: A Conversation on Storytelling, Representation, and Perspective’, The World Reimagined, U.S. Embassy, London | 2022
Curtis Holder x Sketch Appeal’s Founder Dulcie Ball for World Mental Health Day, Instagram Live, National Portrait Gallery | 2022
Figure & Portrait Drawing demonstration, Downland Art Society, Sussex | 2022
Live Portraiture After Hours, Compton Verney, Warwickshire | 2022
Portrait Masterclass with Curtis Holder x Sketch Appeal, Sketchfest, London | 2022
Live Portraiture, The Derwent Art Prize, gallery@oxo, London | 2022
Masterclass Speaker, ‘Trajectory of Emerging Artists’, Ad-Diriyah Biennale, Sotheby’s Instutute of Art (SIA) | 2022
‘Considering Art : Considering Line - Works of Curtis Holder’, Live video tour, Considering Art | 2021
Artist Facilitator, ‘Makeathon’, Soho House, London | 2021
‘Line as storytelling’ with artist Laura Hope, Instagram Live | 2021
‘Drawing from photo reference’ with Laura Ryan from Draw Brighton, Instagram Live | 2021
Primary School Teacher specialising in Art & Design, various schools, London | 2008-2021
Press
Spotlight, The Wick | July 2024
The Wick List, The Wick | July 2024
Review: The 6th John Ruskin Prize, Making A Mark | February 2024
Review: Portrait Artist of the Decade, Making A Mark | October 2023
‘Making a mark’, Artists & Illustrators | April 2023
‘Curtis Holder - from stage to canvas’, The Times | January 2023
‘Meet Soho House artist Curtis Holder’, Soho House blog | January 2023
‘The best exhibitions in London in 2023’, Conde Nast Traveller | January 2023
‘How to commission a portrait’, HTSI magazine, Financial Times | November 2022
Curtis Holder x Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit exhibition, Instagram Takeover, Pallant House Gallery | October 2022
‘Q&A with Artists from ‘Winners: Award Winning Artists 2020-2022’, Mall Galleries | July 2022
Solo Art Exhibition by Curtis Holder, Dorchester Collection blog | December 2021
‘Figure drawing by Jake Spicer’ book launch event, Interview with artist and author Jake Spicer, Cass Art | July 2021
‘The British Art Prize’, Artists & Illustrators magazine | July 2021
‘Curtis Holder: How I Draw’, Artists & Illustrators magazine | June 2021
‘Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year winner Curtis Holder shares tips for emerging artists’, Kingston University blog | February 2021
‘Master Strokes: Portrait Artist of the Year Winner Curtis Holder’, Crafts Beautiful magazine | January 2020
‘Meet Curtis Holder: Portrait Artist of the Year 2020 Award Winner’, Black Gay Blog | March 2021
‘Curtis Holder: From growing up on a council estate to Portrait Artist of the Year’, Attitude magazine | January 2021
Art for beginners: Everything you need to get started, according to artists, The Independent, January 2021
‘Curtis Holder draws Carlos Acosta’, Making A Mark | December 2020
‘Curtis Holder wins Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 7)’, Making A Mark | December 2020
‘Exclusive interview: The Winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year’, Cass Art | December 2020
‘Artist in residence: the London home and backdrop of a portraitist’, The Observer | December 2020
Publications and catalogues
Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unspoken, The 6th John Ruskin Prize catalogue | February 2024
Drawing Paper 9, Drawing Paper Show | July 2023
Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2023 catalogue | May 2023
Royal Society of British Artists Bicentennial Exhibition 1823-2023 catalogue | March 2023
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2022 catalogue | October 2022
Wells Art Contemporary Awards 2022 catalogue | July 2022
Contemporary British Portrait Painters: The 2022 Exhibition catalogue | June 2022
The Corn Is Green programme, National Theatre | March 2022
The Derwent Art Prize 2022 catalogue | February 2022
UK Coloured Pencil Society 20th Anniversary Gala Exhibition catalogue | October 2021
‘Curtis Holder: Selected Quotes’, The Draw Journal, Draw Brighton | September 2021
‘Curtis Holder: Artist Interview’, Talkingpoint: The Journal of the UK Coloured Pencil Society, Issue 79 | March 2021
Education
PGCE, Primary Education (Art and Design), Roehampton University | 2010
PGDip, Character Animation, Central Saint Martins | 2005
BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Kingston University | 1991
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Loughborough College of Art and Design | 1988