An acclaimed master of contemporary realist painting, British painter Henry Ward specialises in life size, full length portraiture. Be it independent work, or portraiture on commission, Henry Ward has specialised in figurative painting since his career began in 1995.

Henry was the recipient of a sophisticated and diverse art education. Trained in classical figurative painting, and in art theory, his paintings employ an unusual blend of the classical and the contemporary. It is this individualistic work that has made Henry Ward one of Britain's most collectable young figurative painters. Exhibited in top international galleries, and supported by an elite group of international collectors, Henry has worked full time as an artist since he left University in 1995.

Born in 1971, Henry was educated at Harrow School, and Chelsea College of Art. He then attended London's Goldsmiths College, and Winchester School of Art, where he gained his Masters Degree in Contemporary Art Theory. The artist moved to New York in 1996. It was here that the fusion of classical painting and contemporary argument flourished. He produced the 'Model Paintings' for his solo show 'Iconostasis' at Tatistcheff & Co, on New York's 57th Street & 5th Avenue, in 1999.

Henry's Father was a Judge in The Supreme Court in Bermuda, and his son was already known for a series of sell-out solo shows on the island. Following his New York success, the artist dominated several Bermuda National Gallery Biennials, during which time his reputation in Bermuda was established. Two strains of his work developed: independent figurative painting, and portrait commissions. Both borrow from each other, where portrait works have a crisp contemporary edge and contemporary figurative paintings have a classical realism.

After five years at the cutting edge in New York, the artist returned to Britain in 2001, where he set up studio in London's Notting Hill. Henry was invited to show in Christies of London in 2006, in 'A Celebration of Art from Harrow School'. His work was selected for the invitations, catalogue back cover, and BBC London Television interviewed him for their coverage of the exhibition. Henry's solo exhibition 'Glimpses' followed in the same year, on London's Bond Street, at John Mitchell Fine Paintings. He has had numerous other international solo exhibitions.

Currently Henry works full time on portrait commissions, for which he has a waiting list. His current commission is a group portrait of the World Presidents of the International College of Surgeons in Chicago. Measuring 10' x 6', and featuring twelve full length portraits, the canvas documents the living World Presidents of the College, and is destined to hang in the Museum of the I.C.S. In Chicago.

Both in his own works, and in portrait commissions, Henry Ward constantly strives for unorthodox means of presenting the subject. Influences on his work are as diverse as Rembrandt, Chuck Close, Lucian Freud, and Thomas Eakins. In Henry's Ward's work, the intention is to portray character, and human experience, within the painted form. This can be within fully realist paintings, or figures placed within colouristic grounds.

Henry distills the essential nature of his subject, creating an essential form within the painted portrait. He exercises a strict purity in his line and mark making. Henry instructs a weekly Portraiture Masterclass and is sought after for the classical, but simplistic, means underpinning his practice.

Be it informally classical portraits, or independent figurative painting, Henry Ward has created a diversity of work. This has encouraged a body of collectors that has grown steadily since his career began. He has an extensive list of portrait clients, and is becoming known for his Grand scale 'eight footer' portraits of an international elite. He is increasingly the choice of portraitist, and collectable, for a cognoscenti who seek his particular blend of contemporary classicism.