Humphrey Ocean - Red Chair

About the artist

Humphrey Ocean RA b. 1951 Sussex.
Lives and works in London. 

Humphrey Ocean, elected a Royal Academician in 2004. is best known as a portraitist, with a variety of famous sitters to his name including commissions for the National Portrait Gallery of poet Philip Larkin (1984) and politician Tony Benn (1996). Having won first prize in the Imperial Tobacco Portrait Award 1982 (what is now the BP Portrait Award), the NPG commissioned a portrait of Paul McCartney (1983).  From 1971 to 73 he was bass player with 'Kilburn and the High Roads' with his art school tutor, Ian Dury : a successful pub rock band of the period who were part of the Who’s Quadrophenia tour.  2018; Birds, Cars and Chairs, Royal Academy of Arts 2019; Fresh as Paint, Eton College 2022.

In 2019 a major new monograph, Humphrey Ocean by Ben Thomas and A Book of Birds by Humphrey Ocean were both published by RA Publications.

Public collections include: British Museum, British Council, The Whitworth: University of Manchester, Imperial War Museum, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, National Maritime Museum, National Galleries Scotland: Portrait, Victoria and Albert Museum, Government Art Collection.

Humphrey first worked with Kip on the Jesus College portfolio ‘Art for Tomorrow’ published in 2017 which included his print ‘Car’.