Review: Contemporary British Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition 2026

I had a lovely time on Friday evening at the Contemporary British Portrait Painters' Annual Exhibition - held, as usual, at Downstairs at the Department Store at 248 Ferndale Road in Brixton SW9 8FR. 

Just a 3 minute walk from the end of the Victoria Line at Brixton Tube.

It features 52 artists from the 75 members of the CBPP Collective.

a diverse showcase of some of the most distinctive and experimental portraiture being made in the UK today (Sarah Jane Moon Chair of CBPP)

"My neighbour Marisa" by Peter James Field
Cover of the CBPP 2026 Exhibition Catalogue

This post aims to do two things:

• point people to where they can see pics of all of the portraits and some of the artists in this collective - because I know not all of you can get to see the exhibition. (This is also not a group of London artists. Members live all over the UK)
• read a review of the exhibition if they cannot visit.

However you have until 14th June to get over to Brixton to see the show - admission is free. The exhibition is open from 10am until 5pm every day.

If you cannot get there, you can see my photographs online on my Facebook Page

• my album of photos "Contemporary British Portrait Painters: Annual Exhibition 2026 - which includes pics of some of the artists, all of which I know
• my post of pics of all the photos - on the walls of the exhibition.

Contemporary British Portrait Painters

This collective describes themselves as

a friendly, inclusive community actively supporting artists working in the field of portraiture. CBPP - About Us

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.

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......we would love to see work which exemplifies your own personal areas of interest and exploration in portraiture.

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

These are the names of the exhibiting artists in 2026. They include 

• current and past exhibitors and prizewinners (including 5 previous winners) at The Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery
• members of and award winners at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
• 4 past winners of the Portrait Artist of the Year competition on Sky Arts
• As well as people who have won top prizes for portraiture internationally

This is very definitely an exhibition of diverse contemporary portraiture which is worth visiting by 

• all those who are serious portrait artists - and 
• by all those who aspire to become better at portraiture.

and this is what those who were there on PV night look like

Exhibiting artists at the Private View

One of the ways of spotting a CBPP artist is their spiffing new magenta coloured CBPP pins which they're all wearing! A great way of saying "I'm one of the artists" without being too ostentatious about it.

on a theme of Sleeping.....

The Portraits

Perhaps the best way of describing these portraits overall is that they generally do NOT look like what one might expect to see in a commissioned portrait.

They bring a fresh perspective on what contemporary portraiture is and what it can look like. That word "contemporary" in the title of the collective is important. 

They also follow some of the traditional ways of portraiture - but with a new spin.

Every portrait artist should do a self-portrait!

In an era when many young people still use photo booths to record what they look like (as well as the usual selfie), it's no surprise to find one artist pondering on different perspectives - and pulling a few faces.

Paint-Me by Peter Davis (Wilmslow)
His submission to this exhibition last year
has been selected for The Portrait Award this year!

I very much connected with Tom Croft - whose floating self portrait head puzzled me - until I heard the story behind it and we then swopped stories of our pre and post surgery experiences. 

Tom is classically trained but his commissions range from family portraiture to commissions for clients ranging from Oxford Colleges to Manchester United. 

Tom of course started the #portraitsfornhsheroes initiative during Covid by offering a free portrait to the first NHS key worker to contact him on Instagram. This resulted in artists around the country painting 800 portraits of those who kept on carrying on as we all stayed in our isolation at home and in our heads. In 2021 Tom received a British Empire Medal for services to the Arts and to Charity during the Covid -19 Response.

His website captures an aspect of that initiative which carries over to this exhibition......

So I thought about it. What is the point of a portrait? It is an artistic representation of somebody, in my case a painting or drawing. Ideally with a good physical likeness. Then if it’s a good portrait it can go deeper below the surface and say more about the subject than just a snapshot. Unlike a selfie that is just a split second in time. Done well it can be a more considered overview of them as a person and give a sense of the essence of who they really are. Character and personality can all be captured or referenced in a successful portrait. In the past portraits have been seen as a status symbol, or produced to celebrate someone, mark some significant achievements, milestones and potentially to elevate that person in the eyes of others.

A portrait is a permanent physical record of someones existence. It also immortalises people, as the portraits are likely to last far longer than the subjects.

Tom Croft and me with his self portrait
on my first outing to an exhibition without my shoulder sling!

Every portrait artist should paint their family

Grandpa with baby cousin by Kayoon Anderson
oil on linen, 70 x 140cm (diptych)

Kayoon Anderson had a marked preference for colours within the raw earths range of ochres, umbers and siennas. These work particularly well in this portrait of her Grandpa done from an old photo. 

The good contemporary portrait artist produces portraits which render people well - without ever trying to copy every aspect of a photo and, at the same time, making it fit into their normal stylistic approach. Which this one does extremely well on all counts.

One interesting aspect of Kayoon's portraits is the always interesting backgrounds. Trained in architecture she can imagine scenes with a harmonious structure and colour temperature.

When not painting yourself or your family, paint the people you see often

Wendy Barratt is well known to all those who watch PAOTY every year. She won in 2023 and her very sensitive portrait commission of the late Dame Jane Goodall now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery

Wendy's portraiture is led by the stories that shape her sitters lives as well as the shapes and connections she finds whilst studying her subjects. Her primary aim when creating a portrait is to find the emotion and expression as well as the human connection between artist and sitter.

Peter by Wendy Barratt
oil on canvas, 90 x 60cm
Winner of the Roger Remington Award at the ROI Annual Exhibition 2025)

You can tell that this is a man who likes a chat with the artists who buy art supplies from him at The Art Shop in Penzance - which he opened in 1989. A portrait as he comes up to retirement is a lovely way of creating a permanent memory of somebody who has featured in many artists' lives whether permanent or temporary residents in Cornwall.

Note: It appears that maybe his shop was bought rather than disappearing. Apparently he's still working there rather than retiring - but maybe this is part-time?

There's always scope for some very precise rendition

Hyperealistic portrait paintings are never going to go away. People have been producing them for centuries. There's something very satisfying about a portrait where everybody recognises the sitter straight away - at the same time as we "ooh and aaah" about the precision involved.

Such is the portrait of Mark Gatiss by Martyn Burdon. Martyn's paintings are like drawings and his drawings are like paintings. I can only tell the difference because the blacks in paint are different from the ones in graphite! There again, I'm not sure I could say with any certainty which was which.

If anybody is a big fan of hyperrealism, I urge you to go and study the bottom left hand corner and the rendition of the ribbed cardigan! My mouth dropped!

Martyn Burdon with his portrait of Mark Gatiss

Acrylic on Gesso Panel - 50x60cm

There's one major question I came away with, after writing this review. 

What's with the number of portrait artists with surnames beginning with B?  Twenty four per cent (24%) of the artists in the show. 

Says the woman whose surname starts with a T!

Sponsors

The exhibition is generously sponsored by:

• Cass Art - who have a great reputation for supporting artists and their groups in various ways
• The Heatherley School of Fine Art - where many of the artists have taught or still teach contemporary portraiture
• Avenue Print Management - who provide a very wide range of print services