Portraits by Paul Wright are worthy investment art purchases

Portraiture, once a traditional, conservative form of art, has evolved over time. Today, contemporary portrait artists are capturing the human face on canvas and other materials in increasingly experimental ways.

Here at Maddox Gallery, we’re delighted to have leading 42-year-old British portrait artist Paul Wright join our roster of talented artists. He brings a beautiful and unique style of investment art to Mayfair, featuring popular icon in a wholly new style.

Wright is an investment art favourite

Paul Wright is not an unknown name in the investment art world. His exceptional talent has twice earned him a place at the BP National Portrait Awards, being featured at The National Portrait Gallery in London, and his work earns high praise from international critics and professionals alike.

Wright has exhibited in London, Toronto, Mumbai, Arizona and elsewhere across the world. More importantly, his works have been widely accepted as valuable investment assets. His paintings are included in collections held by the Prudential, Standard Chartered Bank, Accenture, Leicestershire Health Authority, P&O, Rutland County and Texas State University.

The most universal of all subjects

Ralph Taylor, Bonhams’ director of post-war and contemporary art, recently explained to Luxury London why portraits represent such an interesting form of investment art:

“The human body and face are the most universal of all subjects, relevant across all linguistic and cultural boundaries.”

“Something that’s interesting is the intent with which a portrait is painted,” Taylor continues. “It might be a loving rendition as part of a commission, a deferential painting of someone famous, or a slightly provocative and mischievous examination of someone’s personality.”

Wright explained to Saatchi that he takes an experimental approach to portraiture. “I try to explore new ways to describe each of my subjects,” he states, “and through this process I hope to present the face in a direct and challenging way.”

“If I am successful, then the final image should walk a line between likeness and abstraction.”

Capturing the life of an object

After training in illustration, Paul Wright spent over a decade developing “a painterly language” used to “capture a vitality beyond the establishment of a mere ‘likeness’ to the subject.”

He is renowned for painting portraits, and even Wright’s still life works have the feeling of capturing the ‘life’ of an object. Figures are formed with a mesh of bright brushstrokes.

“Though I often work on a large, potentially imposing scale,” he argues, “the work remains approachable through fluency of brush mark and a rich palette.”

Ironically however, Wright often features long-departed subjects such as Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln. Working primarily from photographs, he reimagines individuals in grey-scale or brilliant colour. His almost cubist fashion is less a precise replica of the subject, more a representation of their being.

“I think there used to be a tradition of the portrait painter drawing out the essence of the personality. I actually don’t believe that’s possible,” he says. This detached approach allows him to “make them slightly more obscure and unusual”.

“The subjects are glimpsed rather than exposed, their inner selves hinted at but ultimately inscrutable,” says Wright. “The spaces the subjects inhabit are often indeterminate, providing an atmosphere that allows for ambiguity of psychological state.”

“Inevitably, regardless of my subject, I see them all as a form of self portraiture,” he admits.

Invest in Paul Wright pieces for the home

If you are seeking investment art that you can enjoy in the home and benefit from financially, we would recommend you buy Paul Wright art.

We also have a varied selection of other talented contemporary artists, all expected to soar in value over the coming years.

If you want to learn more about investing in contemporary art, take a look at ‘The Six Key Factors to Consider When Making an Art Investment.’ To find out more about any of our represented artists, please contact Maddox Gallery. Our Sotheby’s-trained art consultants will be happy to provide expert advice.

Written by James Nicholls, Managing Director and Curator, Maddox Gallery.