Holly Frean
Works
Overview
Holly Frean is an artist of exceptional dedication and vision. She began her formal training as an architect and draughtsman but painting portraits took over. Her studio practice has since grown to include picture-making in all its forms, typically oil paintings on canvas and gouaches on paper, also printmaking and 3D work. Infused with wit and humour, Holly’s work draws on the lives of artists and uniquely documents the subtleties in a face, body or movement. Over the past decade she has evolved a highly personal and technically accomplished style. Holly’s work has been exhibited extensively in the UK and America.
She has won numerous accolades including the 2012 National Open Art Competition Painting Prize (awarded by Grayson Perry) and regularly shows at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the ING Discerning Eye at Mall Galleries in London. Commissions include those from the Duchess of Northumberland, designer Betty Jackson, comedians Russell Howard and Ricky Gervais, hotelier Kit Kemp, actor Russell Tovey and retailer Johnny Boden. Holly's imagination and versatility have recently led to coveted textile, ceramic and wallpaper collaborations with Anthropologie, Burberry, Andrew Martin and Paul Smith.