Jonathan Yeo first gained critical acclaim for his distinctive portraits, which merge a smooth realism with a strong painterly touch. The artist may count many celebrities, politicians and royalty amongst his subjects – from Grayson Perry to Dennis Hopper; David Walliams to Prince Philip – but Yeo’s portraits always go far beyond the public face of his sitters; they capture the intimate essence of his models’ personalities. His recent official portrait of Tony Blair (2007) shows the ex-Prime Minister wearing the blood-red poppy of remembrance. This pictorial detail alludes to the numerous losses amongst British soldiers during the war in Iraq and exemplifies the subtle references, recurrent in Yeo’s portraiture, to his sitter’s story.

In 2007, pushing the limits of the representation of human figures, Yeo started a series of collages – portraits, but also anonymous nudes. His “raw material” - cut-outs from porn magazines - caused a stir when Yeo unveiled the first work and unsettled his image as a “traditional” portrait painter. However, they provide a rich range of skin tone, giving an almost painterly effect to the collages. Yeo is currently working on a new body of works focused on cosmetic surgery. Tackling what remains for many a taboo issue, this new series will address self-image and contemporary canons of beauty.

Jonathan Yeo was born in 1970 and lives in London.