Benjamin Hope
Benjamin Hope (born 1976) is a British artist, based in London.
Benjamin Hope | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 49–50) |
| Education | |
| Known for | Painter |
| Website | www.benjaminhope.net |
Benjamin Hope (born 1976)[1] is a British artist, based in London.
Life
[edit]He grew up in Oxford, the son of the painter Jane Hope and an academic historian (two of his grandparents were also artists).[2]
After studying Mathematics and Physics at the University of Warwick and taking Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge University, he was awarded a PhD in theoretical nanoscience at Cambridge.[3] He has been a competitive runner and earned four Cambridge Blues for cross-country.[3][4]
Hope was invited to join the Oxford Art Society in 1999, and in 2001 his still-life Old Violin won the Oxford Times Critics' Choice at the society's Members' Exhibition. In 2002, for its 400th anniversary, the Bodleian Library commissioned a commemorative still-life.[5]
On leaving academia in 2007, he worked as a risk analyst in the City of London in order to earn enough to start painting professionally.[2][6] In 2011, he left the City to paint full-time from his studio in Blackheath, South East London.[1]
Work
[edit]
Working mainly in oil, but also in charcoal, pastel, and pencil,[1] his works include plein air street scenes, detailed still lifes, and impressionistic portraits.[6] The street scenes are mainly of locations in central and south London,[7] while he has also painted landscapes beyond the capital.[1] John Walsh in The Independent called him "a brilliantly accomplished impressionistic painter of street scenes."[2]
His work has been selected for a number of exhibitions,[8] including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2013.[9] His first solo show, Observations was staged by the JP Art Gallery in London in 2015.[10] A joint exhibition with sculptor Ben Hooper was held at the Gallery Different in Fitzrovia in June 2017.[7] Since 2018 he has regularly exhibited at Island Fine Arts in Chichester.[11]
In 2018 he was elected to The Pastel Society[12] and the New English Art Club.[13] In 2021 he was elected to membership of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.[14]
Awards and recognition
[edit]Hope has won a number of prizes and awards:[8][11]
- Sheng Xinyu Art Award at the Almenara Art Prize (2024)
- Shortlisted / Runner Up, Ondaatje / William Lock Portrait Prize, Royal Society of Portrait Painters Exhibition (2024)
- Menena Joy Schwabe Memorial Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters Exhibition (2022)
- Sea Pictures Gallery Award, Royal Society of Marine Artists Exhibition (2022)
- Peter Kelly Commemorative Prize, Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition (2022)
- Michael Harding Award, Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition (2019)
- Frinton Frames Award, Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition (2018)
- Winsor & Newton Non-member Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters Exhibition (2017)
- First Prize in the Jackson's Pastel Portrait Competition (2016)
- Jackson's Pastel Portrait Competition, First Prize (2016)
- New English Art Club: Mall Galleries Greetings Card Award (2016)
- Pintar Rapido First Prize (2014)
- Jackson's Prize, United Society of Artists Open Exhibition (2014)
His work has been selected for exhibition in[1][8][9][10][15]
- Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 2013
- New English Art Club
- The Pastel Society
- Royal Institute of Oil Painters
- Royal Society of British Artists
- Royal Society of Marine Artists
- Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Island Fine Arts 2017.
- ^ a b c Walsh 2015.
- ^ a b Caves 2016.
- ^ Nichols 2012.
- ^ Sysmoko 2017.
- ^ a b Oxford Art Society 2017.
- ^ a b Wall Street International 2017.
- ^ a b c Mall Galleries 2017.
- ^ a b John Jones London 2013.
- ^ a b ArtRabbit 2015.
- ^ a b About 2025.
- ^ Pastel Society 2018.
- ^ NEAC 2018.
- ^ RSPP 2021.
- ^ RSMA 2025.
References
[edit]- "Benjamin Hope. Solo Exhibition - Exhibition at JP ART GALLERY in London". ArtRabbit. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- Caves, Julie (2016). "Benjamin Hope Paints From Life". Jackson's Art Blog. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "About". Benjamin Hope. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- "Modern British Painters: Benjamin Hope". Island Fine Arts. 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "Benjamin Hope - RA Summer Show". John Jones London. 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "Benjamin Hope". Mall Galleries. 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- Nichols, Dixie (2012). "Artist". Handmade Lives. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "Congratulations to our two new members". New English Art Club. 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Hope, Ben". Oxford Art Society. 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "Benjamin Hope PS NEAC". The Pastel Society. 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Our Members". Royal Society of Marine Artists. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- "Benjamin Hope elected to membership". Royal Society of Portrait Painters. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- "Ben Hope Art". Sysmoko. 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- "Benjamin Hope and Ben Hooper". Wall Street International. 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- Walsh, John (21 November 2015). "Notebook: From Clapham to Cornwall... This Streetwise Artist is a Breath of Fresh Air". Independent on Saturday. Radar Supplement. p. 10.