Education
MA Illustration, Royal College of Art, 2000
BA Illustration, Westminster (First Class), 1998
Solo Exhibitions Youngstarrs, Black Rat Press, London 2009 Small Faces , Sesame Gallery, London 2008
This is England, Leonard Street Gallery, London, 2007
Tricycle Arts Centre, Kilburn, 2005
Sesame, Islington, 2005
Lefevre Gallery, Mayfair, 2002
Selected Group Exhibitions
Represent, Blackall Studios, London 2009 (curator)
Mutate Britain, London, 2009
SCOPE Basel, Switzerland, 2009
Five Years, Sesame Gallery, 2008
SCOPE London, 2008
Hope In Life, Black Rat Press, 2008
Philips Auction House, 2008
Scream In High Definition, Scream Gallery, 2008
Big Issue Charity Show, Black Rat Press, 2008
Dreawetts Auction House, The Village Underground, 2008
"Regroup", Sesame Gallery, London 2008
Black Rat Print Show, Black Rat Press, London 2008
Sesame Salon, Sesame, London, 2007
White Noise, Black Rat Press, London 2007
Behind the Mask, Sesame, 2007
Underexposed, Novas Gallery, London, 2007
Eleven, Leonard Street Gallery, London, 2007
Leonard Street Gallery, 2006
AAF Contemporary Art Fair New York, 2005
“Street Portraits”, Sesame, London, 2004
Hunting Art Competition, Royal Academy of Art, 2002
London Art Fair 2001, 02, 05, 07, Islington
BP Portrait award, National Portrait Gallery, London, 2001
Villiers David Art Prize, Christies, London, 2001
Lefevre Gallery, Mayfair, 2000
Awards
Hunting Art Prize Nominee, UK, 2002
Villiers David Art Prize UK, 2001
BP Portrait Award Nominee, 2001
E-D-F Man Drawing Competition, Second Place, 2000
Matthew Small’s work has strong urban roots. By painting directly onto found pieces of metal, he brings physical elements of the city directly into his work. The people he paints are also found, filmed anonymously on the streets of London. In this way, Matthew focuses on creating portrait painting at its best, when the identity of the sitter is of lesser importance than the power and insight of the piece.
