Benjamin Hope (born 1976) is a British artist, based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Life

He grew up in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, the son of the painter Jane Hope and an academic historian (two of his grandparents were also artists). After studying Mathematics and Physics at the

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (202 ...

and taking

Part III of the Mathematical Tripos Part III of the Mathematical Tripos (officially Master of Mathematics/Master of Advanced Study) is a one-year Masters-level taught course in mathematics offered at the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge. It is regarded as one of t ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, he was awarded a PhD in theoretical

nanoscience The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a l ...

at Cambridge. He has been a competitive runner and earned four

Cambridge Blue A blue is an award of sporting colours earned by athletes at some universities and schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of blues began at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. They are now awarded at a number of othe ...

s for cross-country. Hope was invited to join the Oxford Art Society in 1999, and in 2001 his still-life ''Old Violin'' won the

Oxford Times Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Critics' Choice at the society's Members' Exhibition. In 2002, for its 400th anniversary, the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

commissioned a commemorative still-life. On leaving academia in 2007, he worked as a risk analyst in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

in order to earn enough to start painting professionally. In 2011, he left the City to paint full-time from his studio in Blackheath, South East London.

Work

Working mainly in oil, but also in charcoal, pastel, and pencil, his works include

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

street scenes, detailed

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

s, and impressionistic

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

s. The street scenes are mainly of locations in

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

south London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, ...

, while he has also painted landscapes beyond the capital. John Walsh in

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

called him "a brilliantly accomplished impressionistic painter of street scenes." His work has been selected for a number of exhibitions, including the

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

in 2013. His first solo show, ''Observations'' was staged by the JP Art Gallery in London in 2015. A joint exhibition with sculptor Ben Hooper was held at the Gallery Different in

Fitzrovia Fitzrovia () is a district of central London, England, near the West End of London, West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Co ...

in June 2017. In 2018 he was elected to The Pastel Society and the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and ...

Awards and recognition

Hope has won a number of prizes and awards: *Lynn Painter Stainers Prize, Runner Up (2014) *Pintar Rapido First Prize (2014) *Jackson's Prize, United Society of Artists Open Exhibition (2014) *Jackson's Pastel Portrait Competition, First Prize (2016) *New English Art Club: Mall Galleries Greetings Card Award (2016) His work has been selected for exhibition in *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 Portrait Painters.

Notes

References

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External links

Benjamin Hope - Artist
(official web site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Benjamin 1976 births Living people 21st-century English painters Artists from Oxford Alumni of the University of Warwick Alumni of the University of Cambridge