Nicola Jane Philipps (Nicky)
Born 27/08/64
With artistic parents, maternal grandmother, paternal grandfather and sister, plus the in-house influence of the Graham Sutherland Gallery once located at their Welsh family home, it was perhaps inevitable that Nicky would enjoy a successful career as a painter. Well received in the Press, Nicky was commissioned in 2002 to paint a large composition of Ken Follett surrounded by characters from his novels.
In between portrait commissions, Nicky has had six extremely well received Still Life and Landscape exhibitions. The 1997 Solo at The Malcolm Innes Gallery was the most successful contemporary exhibition in the gallery's twenty-five year history. A later solo exhibition of Still life and Landscapes at the Arndean Gallery, Cork Street, opened to enormous acclaim with over thirty paintings selling in the first hour.
In 2005 Nicky was one of two portrait painters whose paintings were chosen to hang at the BP Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and the Garrick Milne Exhibition at Christie's.
Selected Commissions and Collections
- The National Portrait Gallery, London (Princes William and Harry)
- Judge Michael Boudin, Boston, USA (Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for The First Circuit)
- J O Hambro, London (Mr Richard Hambro)
- Cazenove & Co, London (Mr Mark Loveday)
- The Baltic Exchange, London (Mr Peter Kerr-Dineen)
- The Worshipful Company of Grocers, London (Lord George, ex Governor, The Bank of England)
- EMI Classics, London (Mr Richard Lyttelton)
- The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers, London (Mr Jonathan Cooke)
- Mr Eric Speeckaert, Brussels
- Mr Philip Attenborough, Kent (Master of The Skinners Company)
- Mr Philip Elletson, Wiltshire
- Mr David Stewart, Warwickshire
- Mr Ian McNicol, Norfolk
- Lady Clifford, Devon
- Mrs Ray Fine, London
- Mr James Townshend, Dorset
- Lord Richardson, London
- Mr Ken Follett, London
- Lord Ancram, London
- Major General Jamie Balfour, Hampshire<
- Hugh Boneville, actor
Exhibitions
- Four Solo Exhibitions, Arndean Gallery, Cork Street
- National Portrait Gallery, BP Exhibition
- Garrick Milne Exhibition, Christie's
- Family Exhibition, Arndean Gallery, Cork Street
- FAC Annual Portrait Exhibition, Arndean Gallery
- 'artLondon' Contemporary art Fair, London
- Olympia Fine Art and Antiques Fair
- Malcolm Innes Gallery, St James's
- Malcolm Innes Gallery, Walton Street
Please note this artist is sometimes referred to as "Nicky Philipps", and also (erroneously) "Nicky Phillips".
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We are delighted to announce that Nicky's portrait of Princes William and Harry, commissioned by The National Portrait Gallery, was unveiled on Wednesday, 6th January 2010. The double portrait was commissioned by The Trustees of the NPG in early 2008 and can be seen in room 40 opposite the main hall. Once Nicky had decided on the composition at Clarence House, the majority of the sittings took place at her South Kensington Studio.
There will be a family retrospective exhibition with works by Nicky, Jeremy, Susie and Clare Philipps in May 2010 in the old Graham Sutherland Gallery, Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire.
HRH Prince William and HRH Prince Harry
by Nicola ('Nicky') Philipps, 2010
Copyright National Portrait Gallery, London
 This is actually a contemporary history painting that alludes in a dignified way to the most important fact about Britain now, that people are dying in uniform. Just as Manet made the style of Velazquez an image of the new, so Nicky Philipps finds poses for our strange time in old paintings. There is a keenness and a style to this portrait without the swagger.
Jonathan Jones, Art Critic, The Guardian
Philipps paints close likenesses of William and Harry, a style common to contemporary portraitists owing something to celebrated figures of the past like John Singer Sargent.
Ben Luke, Art Critic, The Evening Standard
Further press articles can be viewed here
Nicky's response to question of Prince William's full head of hair |
