Nicholas Charles Williams (born 1961) is an English painter and draughtsman. Born in Surrey, he trained at Richmond College, London. His work aims to examine aspects of human behaviour, conveyed through symbolism and direct observational painting. He has been the subject of solo shows at various galleries, including the

Russell-Cotes Museum The Russell-Cotes Museum (formally, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum) is an art gallery and museum in Bournemouth, England. A Grade II* listed building originally known as East Cliff Hall, it is located on the top of the East Cliff, next ...

, Bournemouth, Royal Cornwall Museum,

Truro Cathedral The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. It i ...

, and Liverpool Cathedral for European Capital of Culture 2008. In 2001 he was awarded the

Hunting Art Prize The Hunting Art Prize is awarded annually to an artist for excellence in drawing and painting. The prize of $50,000, sponsored by Hunting plc, was established in the United Kingdom in 1981 and was mostly awarded to British artists before relocating ...

and in 2008 shortlisted for the Threadneedle Figurative Prize. Williams now lives and works in Cornwall, South West England and is a lifelong surfer. His studio is a former lifeboat station on the North coast of Cornwall.

Hockney–Falco thesis

Two paintings by Williams, made for scientific analysis examining David Hockney's thesis on the use of optics by the

Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

, have been presented in numerous lectures at major academic institutions and galleries throughout Europe and the USA. Presentations (led b
Dr. David G. Stork
have taken place at Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Venice Biennale;

The Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

;

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

;

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...

, Vienna; de Young Museum, San Francisco; Oxford University; Cambridge University; Stanford University; Getty Research Institute; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Collections

* British Museum *Bournemouth Central Public Library *Bluestone Design, Plymouth *Falmouth Art Gallery *Frissiras Museum in Athens *Hunting PLC, London

Selected bibliography

*1995 Daily Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express *2001 Art Review, London Evening Standard, Financial Times, Galleries *2003 Daily Telegraph, Hunting Art Prizes 25th Anniversary Catalogue: William Packer *2004 New York Times, Sunday Herald, Scotland *2006 Madame Figaro Voyage Japon

Critical reception

William Packer, art critic: “Nicholas Charles Williams is one of British Art's well-kept secrets.. even so his reputations is growing fast as both one of the most accomplished

figurative artist Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork (particularly paintings and sculptures) that is clearly derived from real object sources and so is, by definition, representational. The term is often in contrast to abstract a ...

of his generation, and one of the most unusual. Indeed there is no one else that I can think of who places himself quite so firmly in the great tradition of early Baroque, yet with no sense of anachronism or pastiche.” Ian Dejardin, Director, Dulwich Picture Gallery: "Williams may paint like a modern-day Counter-Reformation artist, but his subject matter is worlds away and unique to him, visually and intellectually gripping."

Brian Sewell Brian Alfred Christopher Bushell Sewell (; 15 July 1931 – 19 September 2015) was an English art critic. He wrote for the ''Evening Standard'' and had an acerbic view of conceptual art and the Turner Prize. ''The Guardian'' described him as " ...

, art critic: "The quality of the painting seemed to me astounding".

Mark Bills Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, Curator of Paintings Prints & Drawings, Museum of London: "An artist who has such a comfortable and informed relationship with the art of the past...he is able to draw on a large number of sources to produce fresh and vibrant images drawn and explored with consummate skill....they emerge from observation and the intimacy of the artist with his subject."Opening speech, ''Nicholas Charles Williams, Drawings'' at

, October 2004.

References

External links

Nicholas Charles Williams website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Nicholas Charles 1961 births Living people People from Surrey 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters British Realist painters Painters from Cornwall 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists