14 Facts About Humphrey Ocean

Humphrey Ocean was born on 22 June 1951 and is a contemporary British painter.

Humphrey Ocean was born Humphrey Anthony Erdeswick Butler-Bowdon, on 22 June 1951 in Sussex.

Humphrey Ocean went to Ampleforth College and in 1967 went to Tunbridge Wells School of Art for two years, going on to do a Foundation Course at Brighton College of Art and DipAD Painting at Canterbury College of Art.

In 1983, Humphrey Ocean painted Paul McCartney's portrait as part of the first prize in the 1982 Imperial Tobacco Portrait Award with his painting Lord Volvo and his Estate and the following year painted the poet Philip Larkin's portrait, for the National Portrait Gallery, a work described by the novelist Nick Hornby as "unanswerable".

In 1988 Humphrey Ocean travelled to Northern Brazil with the American anthropologist Stephen Nugent, a lecturer at the University of London, eager to expose colonial caricatures of the region.

In 2002, Humphrey Ocean was Artist-in-Residence at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, culminating in how's my driving, an exhibition linking 17th-century Dutch genre paintings with south London suburbia.

Humphrey Ocean painted Catherine Hughes in her role as principal of Somerville College, Oxford.

Humphrey Ocean came to prominence with his exhibition A handbook of modern life at the National Portrait Gallery London curated by Rosie Broadley who wrote:.

The sitters have shared the experience of sitting for a portrait, but Humphrey Ocean has illuminated something unique about each person-how they tilt their head or how they wear their shirt - with an immediacy that tethers the image to the day they visited the studio.

In 2017 Humphrey Ocean exhibited Dot Book 1 in Drawing Together at the Courtauld Gallery London curated by Dr Ketty Gottardo and Dr Ben Thomas who wrote:.

In 2013 Lord Volvo and his Estate by Humphrey Ocean was voted one of 57 of the nation's favourite paintings and appeared on billboards around Britain in Art Everywhere organised by the Art Fund.

Humphrey Ocean was made an Honorary Doctor by Canterbury Christ Church University in 2012.

Humphrey Ocean is married to artist Miranda Argyle and has two daughters, Ruby and Beatrice.

Humphrey Ocean's art is featured in several collections, including British Museum, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; British Council; The Whitworth, University of Manchester; Wolverhampton Art Gallery; National Portrait Gallery, London; National Galleries Scotland: Portrait, Edinburgh; Government Art Collection.