Curtis Holder PS

Bio

Curtis Holder (born Leicester, 1968) is a London-based artist who works in graphite and coloured pencil to create large-scale portraits and figurative works on paper.

Rooted in intimate conversations with his sitters, Holder’s practice blends dialogue and drawing to uncover the human, the subtle, and the often overlooked or marginalised. His multilayered pencil portraits take shape through a dynamic interplay of febrile lines, revealing the form, movement, and emotional depth of his subjects.

Holder gained widespread recognition in 2020 after winning the prestigious Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year competition. Since then, he has continued to garner critical acclaim through solo and group exhibitions, artist residencies, and commissions, earning numerous accolades, including The John Ruskin Prize in 2024.

In 2021, Holder held his first solo exhibition, Something Unspoken, at 45, Park Lane in London. He was appointed the National Theatre's first-ever Artist in Residence in 2022, leading to his 2023 exhibition The Makers: Portraits from Backstage.

In 2023, Holder was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and the Terrence Higgins Trust to create a posthumous portrait of Terry Higgins, one of the first people in the UK to die of an AIDS-related illness. He also presented Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood at Guildford House Gallery in 2024, exploring themes of identity and masculinity through intimate portraits of Black and Brown men.

From 2023 to 2024, Holder completed an 18-month residency at Leeds Art Gallery in collaboration with the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute, focusing on addressing racial injustices in UK museums and galleries. In 2024-25, this work culminated in the exhibition Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder. During the same period, he also presented his solo exhibition Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which showcased portraits from the Sky Arts competition, including his commission of Carlos Acosta, director of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Holder is a member of Contemporary British Portrait Painters (CBPP), The Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA), and The Pastel Society (PS), and his work is held in prominent public collections, including the National Portrait Gallery, Leeds Art Gallery, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Soho House.

In addition to his artistic practice, Holder has been a judge for several major international art competitions, including The Cass Art Prize (2024), The Derwent Art Prize (2023), and the Jackson’s Painting Prize (2022).

Memberships

Member, The Pastel Society (PS) | 2024 - Present

Associate Member, The Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA) | 2021 - Present

Member, Contemporary British Portrait Painters (CBPP) | 2021 - Present

Derwent Artist Ambassador | 2021 - Present

Scholarships, Awards, Prizes

Winner, President’s Award, Society of Graphic Fine Art | 2024

Winner (First Prize), The John Ruskin Prize | 2024

Longlist, The Aesthetica Art Prize | 2024

Winner, The Tom Coates Memorial Prize, The Pastel Society | 2024

Winner, Drawing with a Dry-Based Medium Award, The Gallery at Green & Stone and St Cuthberts Mill | 2024

Winner, Guildford House Open | 2023

Highly Commended, RBSA Drawing Prize | 2023

Shortlist, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize | 2022

Winner, St Cuthberts Mill Award, Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) | 2022

Shortlist, The Derwent Art Prize | 2022

Winner, The Anthony J Lester Art Critic Award, The Pastel Society | 2022

Winner, The Frank Herring & Sons Award, The Pastel Society | 2022

Highly Commended, UK Coloured Pencil Society | 2021

Highly Commended Award, Society of Graphic Fine Art | 2021

Longlist, The Self-Portrait Prize, Ruth Borchard Collection | 2021

Highly Commended, The British Art Prize | 2021

Longlist, Jackson’s Painting Prize | 2021

Winner, Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, Series 7 | 2020

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood, Guildford House Gallery, Guildford | 06 July - 28 September 2024

The Makers: Portraits from Backstage, National Theatre, London | 2023

Something Unspoken, 45 Park Lane, Dorchester Collection, London | 2021-22

Collections

National Portrait Gallery, London, UK | 2023

National Theatre, London, UK | 2023

Little House Balham, Soho House, London, UK | 2022

40 Greek Street, Soho House, London, UK | 2021

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK | 2020

International private collections

Residencies

Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds | 2023-24

National Theatre, London | 2022 -23