Review: Contemporary British Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2025

Contemporary British Portrait Painters have grown since they were founded in 2018 - and now have an annual exhibition.  This is a review of this year's exhibition - but also the way in which members of the group work together which impresses me so much.

Don't forget - the exhibition continues until 5pm tomorrow 5th July!

the hang was beautifully balanced - in terms of colour, subjects and size

First, apologies for the late review. I've been preoccupied with various personal matters this week, which had to take priority. 

However I did manage to get my pics of the exhibition onto Facebook very fast - You can see my photographs in this Facebook Album Contemporary British Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2025 (39 items ).  I also recommended people visit the exhibition which continues

• downstairs at The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road, Brixton SW9 8FR.
• until 5pm on Saturday 5th July

Review of the Group

This is one of the friendliest and most co-operative art societies I know - which gives the exhibition and its Private View a really positive and relaxed atmosphere. It's always a pleasure to be there on PV night.

While there are a few particularly key people organising behind the scenes - notably the Chair Sarah Jane Moon and the Exhibition Curator Lucy Stopford, there are a range of people playing key support roles within what is very much a team. What's more they've got all the angles covered - which is more than I can say for some!

The Team

         Left to right: Wendy Barratt, Catalogue; Sarah Jane Moon, Chair; Peter Davis, Graphics; Lucy Stopford, Exhibition Lead; Liesel Thomas; Peter James Field, Communications Lead ; Jonathan Chan, social media; Martyn Burdon, Development Officer; 

Clive Bryant, Secretary & Treasurer.

The CBPP are 

• intentionally run as a non-profit collective (you are expected to contribute) and 
• take no commission from the sales by individual artists at their exhibitions.  
• everybody has to apply - there are no invitations.

I think this is maybe because the age profile is maybe younger than some societies. Which is not to say people are inexperienced. Far from it. Their members include 

• a number of BP / HSF Portrait Award winners 
• plus regular exhibitors who haven't won just yet and/or have painted portrait commissions for the National Portrait Gallery
• a number of PAOTY competition winners. 
• As well as people who have won top prizes for portraiture internationally.

A very large portrait of a Philippine fisherman by Tim Benson
who is one of this year's HSF Portrait Award winners
(and we found out which one next week!)

Frances Bell with her self portrait "Yellow Trainers"
which won the Draper Grand Prize and People's Choice 
at the Portrait Society of America's "The Art of the Portrait Conference" 
(see other International Portrait Prize winners)

It's about championing one another and being supportive.

Together we aim to amplify a broader range of voices and practices Catalogue

What's really very positive and inclusive is that 

• classically trained people are embraced 
• just as much as those who have developed their own styles and techniques. 

There's none of that rather sniffy "trained in Florence - not what we're looking for" which we get with PAOTY.

It's also very inclusive in terms of the background and life choices of its members. In other words it's very much NOT an an anglo saxon white society where people mainly paint commissions for institutions. 

Which is not to say they don't. Just that you won't see them in the CBPP exhibition.

Indeed I'd go so far as to say they are more focused as to who and what they are looking for in terms of new members than some other societies. 

They're not really after people who can paint a portrait per se so much as artists who need to create portraits on a regular basis in order to express themselves and how they view the world - and develop their practice.  Their members include:

• People who have lots of portrait drawings and paintings on their website and/or social media site. 
• People who need to keep developing and making progress in terms of how they make their marks and conceive of how portraits can look in a contemporary world

Portraits and depictions of the human figure should feature prominently in your work, and your social media and/or website will ideally feature numerous examples of work in this genre, to aid in our selection process. We have a selection group (a regularly rotated panel of practicing artists and CBPP members) who will carefully consider your work.

Artists are encouraged to be searching for something new in their work, to find their own voice and transmit honesty and technical ability in their submissions. The CBPP Membership

Nevertheless - for all that - the emphasis is very much on figurative art where the sitter is recognisable.

I think of the society as maybe what the RSPP might look like if it didn't already exist and hadn't become used to a certain way of operating.

Something rather like a NEAC to the RA! Except this year 22 members of the CBPP were also exhibiting in the annual exhibition of the RSPP!

Key points about the CBPP Group are as follows

• a place to showcase some of the best British practitioners of portrait painting
• learn and support one another in what we do.
• mostly professional painters
• they actively encourage applications from artists of all backgrounds - with Selection Panels twice a year
• they currently have 73 members (with a cap of 100) and most exhibited in this exhibition. members are invited purely on the quality of their work and their commitment to portraiture.
• there
• "we are aiming to be as democratic as we can be".
• their guidelines for membership

 

Review of the Exhibition 

The aspirations that the group as to what they are about is reflected in the quality of the portrait drawings and paintings in their (now) annual exhibition.

It's an excellent exhibition to visit to see the scope and quality of contemporary portraiture. 

It is also very thoughtfully hung. Paintings are grouped around themes or to ensure colours work well together and are also very balanced with respect to size and spacing. Nothing gets swamped. 

Children and Young People

On the corner

More traditional approaches

Three sitters - sitting down
with one (left) reprising Suzanne du Toit's portrait of her son Pieter sitting (as a mirror image)
which won the BP Portrait Award 2016

Finally here's a video of the Exhibition and the Private View - and you can spot me talking to Sarah Jane Moon

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CBPP (@thecbpp)

If you love portraiture or aspire to be a portrait painter, have not yet seen the exhibition and you've got the time today or tomorrow, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you take a trip down to Brixton today or tomorrow. You won't regret it.