Nicholas Sinclair

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nicholas Sinclair

Nicholas Sinclair (born 1954) is a British portrait[1][2] and landscape photographer. His work has been published in a number of books of his own, exhibited eight times at the National Portrait Gallery in London,[3] and is held in the permanent collections there[3] and in the Victoria and Albert Museum,[4] London. In 2003 he was made a Hasselblad Master.[3]

Life and work[edit]

Sinclair was born in London. He studied fine art at Newcastle University.

His career as a photographer began in 1982 with a series of photographs taken in the circus[1] which were first exhibited in 1983 at the University of Sussex and subsequently published in the British Journal of Photography.[citation needed]

He came into prominence in the early 1990s when he photographed John Piper, leading to a series of portraits commissioned by art historian David Alan Mellor.[5]

He is known principally as a portrait photographer, his subjects include Anthony Caro, Frank Auerbach, John Piper and Paula Rego.[1][2] He has edited two books about the Welsh artist Kyffin Williams and made portraits of him.[1]

Sinclair also makes landscape photographs—he has made two books on European cities and one on a lake.

As of now, Sinclair lives between the cities of Brighton, England, and Berlin, Germany.[6]

Style and themes[edit]

He employs a square format and predominantly black and white photography, aiming for a timeless quality. Sinclair's notable subjects include Sir Anthony Caro and Frank Auerbach.[7]

He emphasizes a sense of engagement and connection with his subjects during the editing process.[8] While primarily known for black and white portraits,[9] Sinclair has also produced color prints, showcasing artists like Gillian Wearing.[10] He continues to seek out new subjects, particularly focusing on underrepresented artists and emerging talents.[5]

Publications[edit]

Publications by Sinclair[edit]

  • The Chameleon Body. London: Lund Humphries, 1996. ISBN 0-85331-6961. With essays by David Alan Mellor and Anthony Shelton.
  • Franko B. London: Black Dog, 1998. ISBN 1-901033-55-4. With essays by Stuart Morgan and Lois Keidan.
  • Portraits of Artists. London: Lund Humphries, 2000. ISBN 0-85331-799-2. With an essay by Ian Jeffrey, and a conversation between Sinclair and Robin Dance.
  • Crossing the Water. Brighton: Photoworks, 2002. ISBN 1-903796-02-4. With an essay by David Alan Mellor and an afterword by Ian Jeffrey.
  • Berlin: Imagining the Tri Chord. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2007. ISBN 978-1-905711-10-9. With an essay by David Chandler.
  • Five Cities. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2010. ISBN 978-1-905711-57-4. With an essay by Nicky Hamlyn.

Publications edited by Sinclair[edit]

Awards[edit]

Exhibitions[edit]

Solo exhibitions[edit]

Other exhibitions[edit]

His work has been exhibited eight times at the National Portrait Gallery, London[3]

Collections[edit]

Sinclair's work is held in the following permanent collections:

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Best of British: Nicholas Sinclair artist portraits". Emma Robertson, The Daily Telegraph, 3 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2017
  2. ^ a b c "From Peter Blake to Paula Rego: a who's who of British artists in their studios – in pictures". The Guardian, 28 April 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2017
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Nicholas Sinclair (1954–), Photographer". National Portrait Gallery (London). Retrieved 11 May 2017
  4. ^ a b "Photographs of Paul Scofield and Joy Parker by Nicholas Sinclair". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 11 May 2017
  5. ^ a b "Nicholas Sinclair: Portraits of the Artists | Perspectives". Pallant House Gallery. 19 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Nicholas Sinclair: Artist Portraits". Pallant House Gallery. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Sir Anthony Caro, 1992 : Nicholas Sinclair : Artimage". www.artimage.org.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  8. ^ DACS (7 November 2022). "Artist's Spaces: Nicholas Sinclair on photographing artists' studios". DACS. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Best of British: Nicholas Sinclair artist portraits". The Telegraph. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  10. ^ "From Peter Blake to Paula Rego: a who's who of British artists in their studios – in pictures". the Guardian. 28 April 2014. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 March 2024.

External links[edit]