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Benjamin Hope

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This article is about the British painter. For the Scottish mountain, see Ben Hope.

Benjamin Hope
Self-Portrait of Benjamin Hope
Born1976
NationalityBritish
Education
Known forPainter
Websitewww.benjaminhope.net

Benjamin Hope (born 1976)[1] is a British artist, based in London.

Life

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He grew up in Oxford, the son of the painter Jane Hope and an academic historian (two of his grandparents were also artists).[2]

After studying Mathematics and Physics at the University of Warwick and taking Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge University, he was awarded a PhD in theoretical nanoscience at Cambridge.[3] He has been a competitive runner and earned four Cambridge Blues for cross-country.[3][4]

Hope was invited to join the Oxford Art Society in 1999, and in 2001 his still-life Old Violin won the Oxford Times Critics' Choice at the society's Members' Exhibition. In 2002, for its 400th anniversary, the Bodleian Library commissioned a commemorative still-life.[5]

On leaving academia in 2007, he worked as a risk analyst in the City of London in order to earn enough to start painting professionally.[2][6] In 2011, he left the City to paint full-time from his studio in Blackheath, South East London.[1]

Work

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The Village from Cresswell Park

Working mainly in oil, but also in charcoal, pastel, and pencil,[1] his works include plein air street scenes, detailed still lifes, and impressionistic portraits.[6] The street scenes are mainly of locations in central and south London,[7] while he has also painted landscapes beyond the capital.[1] John Walsh in The Independent called him "a brilliantly accomplished impressionistic painter of street scenes."[2]

His work has been selected for a number of exhibitions,[8] including the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2013.[9] His first solo show, Observations was staged by the JP Art Gallery in London in 2015.[10] A joint exhibition with sculptor Ben Hooper was held at the Gallery Different in Fitzrovia in June 2017.[7] Since 2018 he has regularly exhibited at Island Fine Arts in Chichester.[11]

In 2018 he was elected to The Pastel Society[12] and the New English Art Club.[13] In 2021 he was elected to membership of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.[14]

Awards and recognition

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Hope has won a number of prizes and awards:[8][11]

  • Sheng Xinyu Art Award at the Almenara Art Prize (2024)
  • Shortlisted / Runner Up, Ondaatje / William Lock Portrait Prize, Royal Society of Portrait Painters Exhibition (2024)
  • Menena Joy Schwabe Memorial Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters Exhibition (2022)
  • Sea Pictures Gallery Award, Royal Society of Marine Artists Exhibition (2022)
  • Peter Kelly Commemorative Prize, Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition (2022)
  • Michael Harding Award, Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition (2019)
  • Frinton Frames Award, Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition (2018)
  • Winsor & Newton Non-member Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters Exhibition (2017)
  • First Prize in the Jackson's Pastel Portrait Competition (2016)
  • Jackson's Pastel Portrait Competition, First Prize (2016)
  • New English Art Club: Mall Galleries Greetings Card Award (2016)
  • Pintar Rapido First Prize (2014)
  • Jackson's Prize, United Society of Artists Open Exhibition (2014)

His work has been selected for exhibition in[1][8][9][10][15]

  • 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 Marine Artists
  • Royal Society of Portrait Painters.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e Island Fine Arts 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Walsh 2015.
  3. ^ a b Caves 2016.
  4. ^ Nichols 2012.
  5. ^ Sysmoko 2017.
  6. ^ a b Oxford Art Society 2017.
  7. ^ a b Wall Street International 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Mall Galleries 2017.
  9. ^ a b John Jones London 2013.
  10. ^ a b ArtRabbit 2015.
  11. ^ a b About 2025.
  12. ^ Pastel Society 2018.
  13. ^ NEAC 2018.
  14. ^ RSPP 2021.
  15. ^ RSMA 2025.

References

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  • "Benjamin Hope. Solo Exhibition - Exhibition at JP ART GALLERY in London". ArtRabbit. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • Caves, Julie (2016). "Benjamin Hope Paints From Life". Jackson's Art Blog. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • "About". Benjamin Hope. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  • "Modern British Painters: Benjamin Hope". Island Fine Arts. 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • "Benjamin Hope - RA Summer Show". John Jones London. 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • "Benjamin Hope". Mall Galleries. 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • Nichols, Dixie (2012). "Artist". Handmade Lives. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • "Congratulations to our two new members". New English Art Club. 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  • "Hope, Ben". Oxford Art Society. 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • "Benjamin Hope PS NEAC". The Pastel Society. 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  • "Our Members". Royal Society of Marine Artists. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  • "Benjamin Hope elected to membership". Royal Society of Portait Painters. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  • "Ben Hope Art". Sysmoko. 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • "Benjamin Hope and Ben Hooper". Wall Street International. 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  • Walsh, John (21 November 2015). "Notebook: From Clapham to Cornwall... This Streetwise Artist is a Breath of Fresh Air". Independent on Saturday. Radar Supplement. p. 10.
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