Simon Richardson Artist
Simon Richardson was born in Gore in 1974. He studied at the Otago School of Art and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1996. Since then he has been a full- time artist. Richardson has been awarded the Canadian Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant three times, which has enabled him to study paintings in European Art Galleries. He was the winner of the Mainland Award in 2003, has had three sell-out solo exhibitions in Dunedin (Marshall Seifert Gallery) and Auckland (Jonathan Grant Gallery) and his work is included in many national and international collections including the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore which purchased his portrait of Hone Tuwhare.
In 2016 his portrait of his daughter, “Mila “was selected for the prestigious BP Portrait Award at the National Gallery, London, making Richardson the first New Zealander to be selected. In 2019 he was approached by the renowned Arcadia Contemporary Gallery in Los Angeles and since then his work has been shown in the gallery and included in the 2020 L.A Art Fair.
Richardson has had many important commissions including Christs College Headmaster Simon Leese, the Official Civic portrait of Mayor of Dunedin, Peter Chin and, recently, the Auckland Universities official portrait of Vice Chancellor Stuart McCutheon.
Awards and achievements
1997 Top Scholarship New York Academy of Art
1997 Cranleigh Barton Drawing Awards Finalist
1998 Visa Gold Awards Finalist
1998 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
2003 The Wallace Awards Finalist
2004 Adam Portrait Awards Finalist
2004 Mainland Awards First Prize
2005 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
2008 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
2009 Civic Portrait Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin
2009 Portrait Commission Headmaster Christ’s College
2012 The Wallace Awards Finalist
2014 Parkin Prize Finalist
2016 BP Portrait Awards Finalist
Solo exhibitions
2000 “First Solo Show” The Marshall Seifert Gallery (Dunedin)
2004 “New Works” The Marshall Seifert Gallery (Dunedin)
2006 “Simon Richardson” Jonathan Grant Galleries (Auckland)
2008 “Simon Richardson Otago Origins” Jonathan Grant Galleries (Auckland)
Group Exhibitions
1997 Cranleigh Barton Awards Exhibition
1998 Visa Gold Awards Exhibition
2003 Norsewear Awards Exhibition
2003 Wallace Awards Exhibition
2004 Mainland Awards Exhibition
2004 Adam Portrait Awards Exhibition
2012 The Wallace Awards Exhibition
2014 The Parkin Prize Exhibition
2016 BP Portrait Awards Finalists Exhibition The National Portrait Gallery London,
The National Portrait Gallery Scotland
2018 “Southern Gothic” Milford Gallery (Dunedin)
2019 “New Works” Milford Gallery (Queenstown)
2019 “The Review” Milford Gallery (Queenstown)
2019 “Five and under” Arcadia Contemporary (Los Angeles)
2020 “LA Art Fair” Arcadia Contemporary (Los Angeles)
Publications
American Art Collector February 2020 Issue 172
Southern Gothic Milford Publication 2018 Essay by Lisa Wilkie
Otago Fonebook 1 2017
BP Award Catalogue 2016 Essay by Ali Smith
LANDFALL 229 Autumn 2015
This Thing in the Mirror: Self Portraits by New Zealand Artists 2004 by Claire Finlayson
Public Collections
Eastern Southland Gallery
Bibliography
North and South Magazine August 2018
Down in Edin Magazine 2018
Landfall 229 Autumn 2015
‘Mila’ off to top UK show, Otago Daily Times April 9, 2016
Simon Richardson Interview Kelly Andrew The Listener 23 November 2011
“Achievement Highlighted in Portrait” 20 September 2011
Interview Rachel Grunwell Herald on Sunday 18 October 2008
“Fairy Godmother Strikes Again” The Herald 5 January 2008
Otago Daily Times June 14, 2008
“The Bottom Line “Clare Finlayson Life and Leisure May June 2007
“All Black Anton shows Sensitive Side” The Herald 1 November 2006
“Artist wins award for second time” The Otago Daily Times 2005
“Healthy Dose of Realism “The Otago Daily Times 2004
“Portrait of an Artist’s Life” The Sunday Star times 27 November 2004
“Painter reflects on Win” The Otago Daily Times 1 November 2003
“Richardson’s Star Shines” The Otago Daily Times 24 August 2000
“New York Beckons Artist” The Otago Daily Times 27 March 1998
“Artist on Scholarship to New York” The Otago Daily Times 27 June 1997