CURRENT & UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood
2 - 13 September 2025
RBSA Gallery, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, 4 Brook Street, St. Paul’s Square, Birmingham, B3 1SA
A solo exhibition presenting intimate portrayals of Black and Brown men rendered in graphite and colour pencil, exploring themes of identity, vulnerability, and resilience.
Rooted in personal conversations, the drawings invite viewers to look closely, and reflect on the stories behind each portrait.
Seeing Each Other: Portraits of Artists
17 May - 2 November 2025
Pallant House Gallery, 8-9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ
This major exhibition brings together over 130 works that explore artistic relationships, identity, and mutual influence in modern and contemporary British art.
Spanning 125 years, it showcases paintings, prints, drawings, photography, sculpture, and installations that capture the distinctive gaze between creative peers.
Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize
09 – 21 October 2025
Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, London, E14 0JW
The pre-eminent annual open exhibition for drawing in the UK, the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, has an established reputation for championing excellence and promoting and celebrating the breadth of contemporary drawing practice.
Terry Higgins - Three Ages of Terry
On display in Room 28 on Floor 2
National Portrait Gallery, London, WC2H 0HE
Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, Curtis Holder’s posthumous portrait of Terrence Higgins - one of the first people in the UK to die of an AIDS related illness - is a new addition to the gallery’s Primary Collection.
On display in the Making the Modern World gallery, a space dedicated to some the most important figures of the 20th century.
PAST SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Curtis Holder: Drawing Carlos Acosta
24 October 2024 - 18 May 2025
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH
Curtis Holder won Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2020 and was commissioned to draw Birmingham Royal Ballet’s director, Carlos Acosta.
This exhibition brings together portraits Curtis made during the competition and his working sketches, showing his journey towards the final portrait and telling the story in his own words.
Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder
08 November 2024 - 13 April 2025
Leeds Art Gallery, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AA
An exhibition of new works on paper by Curtis Holder following an 18-month artist residency.
The exhibition documents Holder’s immersion into life at the gallery, exploring the collection and forming bonds with people he met, in particular eight individuals from the Global Majority whose portraits he has drawn.
Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood
06 July - 28 September 2024
Guildford House Gallery, 155 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3AJ
Curtis Holder: Portraits of Brotherhood is a solo exhibition by London-based artist Curtis Holder.
His multilayered pencil portraits seek to capture intimate moments in the lives of his subjects, delving into their shared history and experiences as Black men.
The Makers: Portraits from Backstage
27 January - 04 November 2023
National Theatre, London, SE1 9PX
The Makers: Portraits from Backstage is an exhibition by the National Theatre’s first ever artist-in-residence, Curtis Holder.
His large-scale pencil portraits are a love letter to the dynamic creative forces that exist behind the scenes of theatre, celebrating the craftspeople, creatives and individuals that make the productions possible.
Something Unspoken
03 November 2021 - 22 January 2022
45 Park Lane, Dorchester Collection, London, W1K 1PN
Drawing inspiration from intimate conversations with his subjects, Curtis Holder’s multilayered pencil portraits are dynamically tender, revealing something of the inner life of his sitters.
His debut solo exhibition, Something Unspoken, features drawings inspired by 45 Park Lane.
Curriculum Vitae
Read about Curtis’s past exhibitions, awards and achievements.