Tess Barnes

  • Born in Oxford 1957
  • Studied at Chelsea College of Art, Foundation
  • Graduated from Goldsmiths College, London in 1991 with BA Hons in Fine Art
  • Nat West 90s prize for Art
  • Twice selected for the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery
  • Tess has shown both portraits and landscapes in many group shows and galleries including the Affordable Art Fair, The Royal College of Art, Piers Feetham Gallery (Fulham), Enid Lawson Gallery (Kensington), Sarah Wiseman Gallery (Oxford) and the Saatchi Online Gallery
  • In 2006, Tess was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
  • Tess’s major solo exhibition of 50 portraits ‘Women of Substance’ was sponsored by first direct. It was launched at the Mall Galleries, London, in February 2008 and was followed by a national tour. This exhibition featured high-profile women such as Jenni Murray, Carol Vorderman, Stella Rimington and Shami Chakrabarti
  • 2008/2009 Women of Substance portraits were displayed at Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and at the WEB conference held at the Barbican, sponsored by Deutsche Bank
  • In 2008, Tess joined Sir Peter Blake, Ken Howard and other artists on the Panel of Experts for Artist & Illustrators magazine
  • ‘Women of the Year’ displayed a group of Tess’s portraits during their annual lunch at the Guildhall, London, in October 2008
  • Women of Substance book gains place in the Tate Library Collection
  • Nov 2009 – A solo exhibition at the Royal Institution, London
  • Nov 2009 – Tess shows her work at the Royal College of Art with CHASE hospice care for children, in their prestigious annual show
  • Public collections
    Green Templeton College, Oxford – Sir Richard Doll
    The Faculty of Public Health Medicine, London – Dr June Crown
    The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – Baroness Lynda Chalker
    Wolfson College, Oxford – Baroness PD James
    Royal Institution, London – Baroness Susan Greenfield
  • Publications
    Artists & Illustrators Magazine, February 2008
    ‘Women of Substance’ book published in 2008
    Dulwich Picture Gallery online magazine, February 2008
  • Artist in residence
    The Royal Institution, London (July 2009 to July 2010)
    Citigroup, Canary Wharf – Diversity Week, July 2008