Peter Monkman won 1st prize at the BP Portrait Award 2009 for his painting ‘Changeling 2’, which depicts his 12-year-old daughter on the cusp of adolescence. It was described as ‘compelling’ by the judges, and ‘incredibly bewitching and beguiling’ by journalist Charlotte Mullins. Monkman is currently Director of Art at Charterhouse having practiced as an artist and taught for over 20 years. He has recently exhibited at the Watts Gallery, the Threadneedle Prize at the Mall and the Jerwood Drawing Award as well as being a regular feature in the BP Portrait Awards. 

“I challenge the fixed notion of an idealized childhood and substitute it for a more unsettling complex representation that exists in its own right as a painting.

More recently I have been breaking down appearances in a portrait by exploring the abstract quality of paint using layering and colour to evoke another world beyond physical likeness. 

My work has recently appeared in prestigious collections: for example a series of commissioned works are currently on display in a private super yacht alongside a Picasso, Soutine and Egon Schiele.”