Portraits
A portrait is an artwork or image, typically a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving, that focuses on a person's face or head and shoulders.
Portraiture is an ancient art form dating back over 5,000 years to ancient Egypt. Before photography, people relied on paintings, sculptures, or drawings to capture someone's appearance.
However, portraits have always been more than just records. They were used to display the sitter's qualities like power, beauty, or wealth, often in a flattering way. Artists who didn't flatter, like William Hogarth, often had their work rejected. An exception was Francisco Goya, known for his seemingly honest portraits of the Spanish royal family.
47 results found for "Portraits"
Mickalene Thomas
American artist Mickalene Thomas set out to change the face of art history back in the early 2000s – and that’s exactly what she’s done. We take a look at Mickalene’s humble beginnings and her artistic legacy as the contemporary art powerhouse she is today.
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Hiroshi Sugimoto uses his 19th century box camera to photograph man-made projections of human existence.
Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman is a hallmark of 20th-century art. Since the 1970s she’s taken pictures of herself as different ‘types’ of people from American culture and beyond. In this Artist’s Artist, we look at how the representation of women in popular culture shaped her history-making career.
Ai Weiwei – Everyone is a dragon
It's the year of the dragon. Dragons wield godlike power in myths and folklore, but Ai Weiwei insists that everyone is a dragon. Here's why.
Marlene Dumas
The influential South African painter Marlene Dumas is famous for her portraits, but interestingly, she doesn’t see them as portraits at all.
Zhang Xiaogang
After growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China, Zhang Xiaogang became internationally revered for his intimate portraits of Chinese history.
JR
French artist JR takes public art to the next level. For nearly two decades, he’s made huge black-and-white photo installations in collaboration with local communities across the world. In this Artist’s Artist, we take a look at the backstory.
Jammie Holmes
Jammie Holmes (he/him) was born in 1984 in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He lives and works in Dallas, Texas.
Oscar yi Hou
Oscar yi Hou was born in 1998 in Liverpool, England, and since studying his BA at Columbia University in New York City has lived and worked in Brooklyn.
Shirin Neshat
Shirin Neshat was born in Qazvin, Iran in 1957 and is now based in New York City.
Jordan Casteel
Jordan Casteel (she/her) was born in 1989 in Denver, Colorado. She lives and works between Harlem, New York and Hudson Valley, New York.
Gabriel Moses
Gabriel Moses (he/him) was born in London in 1998, where he continues to live and work.
Laura El
Laura El (she/her) was born in Vilnius, Lithuania and lived in Ireland through early adulthood. Now, she lives and works in New York City.
NKSIN
NKSIN (he/him) was born in 1994 in Fukushima, Japan, where he continues to live and work.
Tahnee Lonsdale
Tahnee Lonsdale (she/her) was born 1982 in the United Kingdom and now lives and works in Los Angeles.
Katie Hector
Katie Hector (she/her) was born in 1992 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and now lives near Los Angeles, California.
Brian Calvin
Brian Calvin was born in 1969 in Visalia, California. He now lives and works in Ojai, California.
Deborah Brown
Deborah Brown (she/her) was born in Pasadena, California in 1955. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Bony Ramirez
Bony Ramirez (he/him) was born in 1996 in the Dominican Republic. At the age of 13, he moved with his family to New Jersey, United States, where he continues to live and work.
Baldur Helgason
Baldur Helgason (he/him) was born in Iceland, 1984. He currently lives and works in Chicago in the United States.
Jang Koal
Jang Koal (she/her) was born in 1989 in Ulsan, South Korea. She now lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.
Bäst
Michael “Bäst” Polimeni (he/him) was born in Coney Island, New York in 1970. He lived in Brooklyn until his death in 2021, and spent many years working at nearby JFK Airport.
Dada Khanyisa
Dada Khanyisa (they/them) was born in 1991 in Umzimkhulu, South Africa. They were raised in Johannesburg and currently work and live in Cape Town.
Dennis Osadebe
Dennis Osadebe (he/him) was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1991, where he continues to live and work.
JR
JR (he/him) was born in 1983 in Paris, France. Paris is still his base, but he travels around the world collaborating with different communities and institutions to create his art.
Rooo Lou
Rooo Lou was born in Osaka, Japan in 1988. He lives and works in Tokyo.
Marcela Flórido
Marcela Flórido (she/her) was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1988. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Lin Yen-Liang
Lin Yen-Liang (he/him) is a Tawianiese artist born in 1987. Today, he lives and works in Taiwan.
Antony Micallef
Antony Micallef (he/him) was born in 1975 in Swindon, England, and now lives and works in London.
Kudzanai-Violet Hwami
Kudzanai-Violet Hwami (she/her) was born in 1993 in Gutu, Zimbabwe, and now lives and works in London, UK.
Tschabalala Self
Tschabalala Self (she/her) was born in 1990 and raised in Harlem, New York. She now lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut.
Koichi Sato
Koichi Sato (he/him) was born in 1974 in Tokyo, Japan, and now lives and works in New York City, United States.
Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel (he/him) was born 1951 in Brooklyn, New York. He now lives and works between his New York City home Palazzo Chupi and Montauk, Long Island.
Rafa Macarrón
Rafa Macarrón (he him) was born in 1981 in Madrid, Spain where he continues to live and work.
Ryol
Ryo Laksamana (he/him), aka Ryol, was born in 1993 in Banyuwangi, Indonesia, and is currently based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Amir H. Fallah
Amir H. Fallah (he/him) was born in 1979 in Tehran, Iran, and now lives and works in Los Angeles.
Kwesi Botchway
Kwesi Botchway (he/him) was born in 1994 in Accra, Ghana. He lives and works in Accra and Brussels, Belgium.
Aubrey Levinthal
Aubrey Levinthal was born in 1986 in Philadelphia, USA, where she continues to live and work.
Shaina McCoy
Shaina McCoy (she/her) was born in 1993 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she continues to live and work.
Hideaki Kawashima
Hideaki Kawashima (he/him) was born in 1969 in Aichi, Japan, and now lives and works in Tokyo.
Mickalene Thomas
Mickalene Thomas (she/her) was born in 1971 in New Jersey, United States and is now based in Brooklyn.
Patrick Quarm
Patrick Quarm (he/him) was born in 1988 in Sekondi, Ghana, and now lives and works in Takoradi, Ghana.
Shannon Bono
Shannon Bono was born in 1995 in the UK. She now lives and works in London as both a practicing artist and associate lecturer at UAL.
Kenturah Davis
Kenturah Davis was born in California in 1984. She now works between Los Angeles and Accra, Ghana.
Gisela McDaniel
Gisela McDaniel (she/her) was born in 1995 in Bellevue, Nebraska, and is currently based in Detroit, Michigan.
Mike Lee
American visual artist Mike Lee was born in 1983 in Placentia, California, and now lives and works in New York.
Adriana Oliver
Spanish artist Adriana Oliver, born 1990, currently lives and works a short distance from Barcelona.
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