ABOUT THE ARTIST
The artist at his 2011 exhibition
Nicolas Granger-Taylor was born in London in 1963. He was educated at Latymer UpperSchool, Hammersmith, and began his art training at Kingston Polytechnic, followed by a three-year degree course in Fine Art at Bristol Polytechnic, the only time he has lived away from London. It was toward the end of his first year at Bristol that he recognised that painting was what most inspired him, and chiefly painting from life. His final-year show mainly consisted of large figure studies taken directly from life, the principal subjects being solitary women in interiors, with particular attention to light and form. His course was thus set. Apart from some excursions into more imaginatively-based figure compositions in the following years, by late 1989 - at the start of his final year at the Royal Academy Schools – he was painting exclusively from life, with work on individual pieces ranging over several days, weeks or months.
This working pattern remains today, Nicolas alternating sessions with models and visitors for portrait commissions with his work on still lifes. Finding a subject that appeals to him, Nicolas will spend some time honing the arrangement of the subject and the composition of the picture before commencing to paint. He works in oils, mainly using sable brushes, on fine linen canvas which is sometimes stretched over board. The paintings have been called “cabinet pictures” – relatively small in size, they are intimate pieces that are nonetheless powerful, charged from the artist’s passion for his work, his relatedness with the subject, and the hours of focused observation.
This working pattern remains today, Nicolas alternating sessions with models and visitors for portrait commissions with his work on still lifes. Finding a subject that appeals to him, Nicolas will spend some time honing the arrangement of the subject and the composition of the picture before commencing to paint. He works in oils, mainly using sable brushes, on fine linen canvas which is sometimes stretched over board. The paintings have been called “cabinet pictures” – relatively small in size, they are intimate pieces that are nonetheless powerful, charged from the artist’s passion for his work, his relatedness with the subject, and the hours of focused observation.
Art Education
Foundation Studies, Kingston Polytechnic, 1981-82
BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art, Bristol Polytechnic, 1982-85
Postgraduate Diploma in Painting, Royal Academy Schools, London, 1987-90
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Cadogan Contemporary, London, 1988
Waterman Fine Art, London, 1991, 1993
Offer Waterman & Co, London, 1999, 2003
Jonathan Cooper, London, 2011, 2013
Selected Group Exhibitions
The South Bank Picture Show, Royal Festival Hall, London, 1986, 1987, 1988
John Player Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1987
Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
B.P. Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1990, 1995
The NatWest 90’s Prize for Art, NatWest Tower, London, 1991
The Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London, 1992 (invited by Robin Simon), 2008 (invited by Fred Cuming)
Small Interiors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1996
Christmas Show, Browse and Darby, London, 2005
The New English Art Club Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, 2014
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, 2015 (invited by Antony Williams)
Selected Awards
John Player Portrait Award, Special Commendation, 1987
Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award, 1990, 1999
Richard Ford Award, 1990
Selected public, institutional and private collections
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith (portrait commission)
Luton University (portrait commission)
NatWest
New College, Oxford
The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (portrait commission)
The Duke of Devonshire
The late Sir Brinsley Ford
The late Sir Alec Guinness CH, CBE
Barry Humphries CBE
The Steve Martin Collection, USA
Greta Scacchi OMRI
Selected Bibliography
Karin Jonzen, Nicolas Granger-Taylor, catalogue introduction, Cadogan Contemporary, 1988
Iain Gale, Nicolas Granger-Taylor, catalogue introduction, Waterman Fine Art, 1991
Nicholas Usherwood, “Preview”, RA Magazine, Number 33, Winter 1991, p. 19
Giles Auty, “Ample figures”, The Spectator, 9 November 1991, pp. 63-64
Mary Rose Beaumont, “Nicolas Granger-Taylor”, Arts Review, 15 November 1991, p.580
Rory Snookes, “Nicolas Granger-Taylor”, Apollo, February 1992, p. 128
Felicity Owen, “Brushes with youthful talent”, Country Life, 4 February 1993, pp. 30-33
Robin Simon, Nicolas Granger-Taylor, catalogue introduction, Waterman Fine Art, 1993
Mary Rose Beaumont, “Nicolas Granger-Taylor”, Art Review, May 1993, p. 86
Giles Auty, “Do I see lemons?” The Spectator, 15 May 1993, p. 46
Julian Halsby, “In Conversation”, The Artist, May 1993, pp. 10-12
Helen Gould, “Back to Life”, Artists and Illustrators, November 1997, pp. 30-33
Nicholas Usherwood, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: A Retrospective, catalogue introduction, Offer Waterman, 1999
Nicolas Granger-Taylor, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: Recent Work, catalogue introduction, Offer Waterman, 2003
Andrew Devonshire, Accidents of Fortune, Michael Russell Ltd, 2004, p. 115 & colour plate
Nicolas Granger-Taylor, "Some Thoughts on Recovery and Creativity", The Jackdaw, Sept/Oct 2011, p. 23
Barry Humphries CBE, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: Recent Work, catalogue introduction, Jonathan Cooper, 2011
Greta Scacchi, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: Recent Paintings and Drawings, online-catalogue introduction, Jonathan Cooper, 2013
Susan Heywood, "Composure and Complicity in Contained Spaces", solo exhibition review, Platform505 website, 31 October 2013
Foundation Studies, Kingston Polytechnic, 1981-82
BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art, Bristol Polytechnic, 1982-85
Postgraduate Diploma in Painting, Royal Academy Schools, London, 1987-90
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Cadogan Contemporary, London, 1988
Waterman Fine Art, London, 1991, 1993
Offer Waterman & Co, London, 1999, 2003
Jonathan Cooper, London, 2011, 2013
Selected Group Exhibitions
The South Bank Picture Show, Royal Festival Hall, London, 1986, 1987, 1988
John Player Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1987
Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
B.P. Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, 1990, 1995
The NatWest 90’s Prize for Art, NatWest Tower, London, 1991
The Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London, 1992 (invited by Robin Simon), 2008 (invited by Fred Cuming)
Small Interiors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1996
Christmas Show, Browse and Darby, London, 2005
The New English Art Club Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, 2014
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, 2015 (invited by Antony Williams)
Selected Awards
John Player Portrait Award, Special Commendation, 1987
Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award, 1990, 1999
Richard Ford Award, 1990
Selected public, institutional and private collections
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith (portrait commission)
Luton University (portrait commission)
NatWest
New College, Oxford
The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (portrait commission)
The Duke of Devonshire
The late Sir Brinsley Ford
The late Sir Alec Guinness CH, CBE
Barry Humphries CBE
The Steve Martin Collection, USA
Greta Scacchi OMRI
Selected Bibliography
Karin Jonzen, Nicolas Granger-Taylor, catalogue introduction, Cadogan Contemporary, 1988
Iain Gale, Nicolas Granger-Taylor, catalogue introduction, Waterman Fine Art, 1991
Nicholas Usherwood, “Preview”, RA Magazine, Number 33, Winter 1991, p. 19
Giles Auty, “Ample figures”, The Spectator, 9 November 1991, pp. 63-64
Mary Rose Beaumont, “Nicolas Granger-Taylor”, Arts Review, 15 November 1991, p.580
Rory Snookes, “Nicolas Granger-Taylor”, Apollo, February 1992, p. 128
Felicity Owen, “Brushes with youthful talent”, Country Life, 4 February 1993, pp. 30-33
Robin Simon, Nicolas Granger-Taylor, catalogue introduction, Waterman Fine Art, 1993
Mary Rose Beaumont, “Nicolas Granger-Taylor”, Art Review, May 1993, p. 86
Giles Auty, “Do I see lemons?” The Spectator, 15 May 1993, p. 46
Julian Halsby, “In Conversation”, The Artist, May 1993, pp. 10-12
Helen Gould, “Back to Life”, Artists and Illustrators, November 1997, pp. 30-33
Nicholas Usherwood, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: A Retrospective, catalogue introduction, Offer Waterman, 1999
Nicolas Granger-Taylor, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: Recent Work, catalogue introduction, Offer Waterman, 2003
Andrew Devonshire, Accidents of Fortune, Michael Russell Ltd, 2004, p. 115 & colour plate
Nicolas Granger-Taylor, "Some Thoughts on Recovery and Creativity", The Jackdaw, Sept/Oct 2011, p. 23
Barry Humphries CBE, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: Recent Work, catalogue introduction, Jonathan Cooper, 2011
Greta Scacchi, Nicolas Granger-Taylor: Recent Paintings and Drawings, online-catalogue introduction, Jonathan Cooper, 2013
Susan Heywood, "Composure and Complicity in Contained Spaces", solo exhibition review, Platform505 website, 31 October 2013