Mabon

Paul Benney (b. 1959)
Paul Benney was born in London and
currently lives and works in Suffolk. He
rose to international prominence as a
member of the Soho and East Village
Neo-Expressionist group, whilst living
and working in New York City in the
1980s where he worked and exhibited
alongside peers Marylyn Minter, Jean-
Michel Basquiat and David Wojnarovicz
among the many other others who made
up the exploding NY art scene. Despite
living and working in this extraordinary
creative environment Benney’s painting
maintained a uniquely English sensibility.
Collections including the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York, The Brooklyn
Museum, The National Gallery of Australia
and The National Portrait Gallery in London,
The Royal Collection and The Eli Broad
Foundation own works. He has exhibited
in eight BP Portrait Award Exhibitions
and twice won the BP Visitors’ Choice
Award. Benney’s portrait subjects have
included HM Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Mick
Jagger, John Paul Getty III, 7th Marquess
of Bath, The State Portrait for Israel, Lord
Rothschild, as well as Ben Barnes for the
portrait in the feature film ‘A Portrait of
Dorian Grey’. Benney was invited to be
resident artist at Somerset House in 2010.
During his five year residency he held the
exhibition ‘Night Paintings’ in 2012 and
drew over 15,000 visitors. In 2017 his epic
painting and holosonic sound installation
‘Speaking in Tongues’ was a prominent
feature of the Venice Biennale.
‘Bucolia’
oil on panel, 60 x 45 cm
120