‘Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta’ exhibition opens at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

I am excited to announce that a new exhibition Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta will open on 24 October at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in Birmingham, UK.

The exhibition tells the story of my progress during Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2020, and the process of creating my winner’s commission of Carlos Acosta, world-renowned ballet dancer and director of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Bringing together all the portraits made during the competition along with working sketches, the display shows the journey towards the final portrait, telling the story in my own words. You can also read my blog on the experience of creating the final portrait.

Six of the Briar Rose series by Pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), which were part of my inspiration for the drawing of Carlos Acosta, are also on show.

This exhibition is the first in the new Contemporary Voices gallery at Birmingham Museum and Ary Gallery, where artists, makers and communities respond to Birmingham’s collection and to people and events that resonate in the city.

The exhibition is part of the next stage of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s phased reopening, as it shares more of the city’s collections and tells stories about Birmingham as a complex, vibrant, multicultural city.

The exhibition is open from 24 October until Spring 2025.

Carlos Acosta, coloured pencil on paper, 150 x 120 cm, 2020