NEW FACES

In 2018, I sent a message to a group of friends and contacts on Instagram, pondering the fact that there was, to my knowledge, as yet no independent society to celebrate or give voice to contemporary British portraiture. I asked my artist colleagues whether they felt there was a need for such a group and, if so, whether they might want to be a part of it.

What started out as a general enquiry got an almost unanimously enthusiastic response from its recipients – and soon afterwards a new collective, Contemporary British Portrait Painters (or CBPP for short) was born. Eighteen months later, the group is already 40-strong and preparing its first exhibition. Our mission is to give a platform to contemporary British portraiture, and by doing so provide mutual support and promotion. Members are accepted on