These modern portrait paintings are inspired

portrait paintings; a painted eye
(Image credit: Mark Roscoe)

The Royal Society of Portrait Painters has revealed some of the artists being shown at the 132nd Annual Exhibition to be held at Mall Galleries in London this May. This is an exhibit with a difference, as not only can you view some of the best portrait paintings of the year, but you can also buy those on display and even commission the artists for new work.

This art exhibition has been running since 1891 and is the largest and most prestigious celebration of portrait painting in Europe. With more than 230 stunning works of art on show, and with a unique open invitation process that meant anyone could submit, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters' Annual Exhibition is unlike anything else. This year the exhibition received 3,500 entries, a rise on last year's 2,800 submissions.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Editor, Digital Arts & 3D

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.

Read more
Save the dates for The Photography Show
5 reasons why you should attend The Photography Show 2025
Jakob Eirich art
Digital art to inspire: 21 digital artists you need to know about
The unicorn art featured on the cover of ImagineFX issue 250.
Celebrate 250 issues of ImagineFX, with a bumper crop of pro tips to make better art.
ImagineFX art challenge
ImagineFX Art Challenge is back!
2D art; a child at a grocer's
These beautiful depictions of everyday scenes tell a raft of individual stories
CESS Artphabet project
This artists alphabet is the most beautiful thing you’ll see all day
Latest in Creative Inspiration
Cricut Venture: everything you need to know; a white craft machine on a desk against a blue wall
Cricut Venture: everything you need to know
Best Cricut Easter ideas; an Easter card on a wooden table
The best Cricut Easter ideas: egg-cellent craft inspiration for the holidays
Vinterior ad mocking Ikea
Provocative billboard ads give Ikea a taste of its own medicine
VW advert from the 1960s a VW car and a spaceship
The best adverts of the 1960s
HTVRONT auto tumbler heat press review; a large white craft machine on a table with a cylindrical gap
HTVRONT Auto Tumbler Heat Press review: a large pro craft machine that's not for everyone
Undrinkable Can
Undrinkable Can takes on Coca-Cola in bold art stunt
Latest in News
JD Vance meme by Beeple, a man with curly hair and a beard
JD Vance memes are now art as Beeple joins the trend
Image of Aloy in Horizon
Sony's made an AI-generated Aloy. Does it not see the irony?
Kia ad
Kia trolls Tesla with scathing Elon Musk callout
Several iPhone models getting larger in size
Apple no longer makes an iPhone I actually want to buy
An image of an optical illusion showing circles and squares that look different sizes
Graphic designers need to know about these typographical optical illusions
Hyundai logo
Okay, the Hyundai logo's secret meaning has genuinely surprised me