ELLIS KING

Ellis King is a contemporary British figurative painter based in Norwich, UK. Working primarily in portraiture, her practice examines the emotional and political realities of womanhood, exploring how memory, resilience and systemic inequality shape identity. Through a visual language that balances realism with restrained abstraction, King creates psychologically charged paintings that hold tension between vulnerability and strength. Her work invites quiet confrontation, challenging the narratives historically imposed upon women’s bodies and lived experience.

In 2025, King was shortlisted among the final 22 artists for the Women in Art Prize and awarded the Square Feet Gallery Exhibition Prize. She was previously selected as one of 100 Emerging Artists by the Arts to Hearts Project (2024) and appeared on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 12), marking a significant milestone in her national profile.

In 2026, she was shortlisted for the Behind the Artist Awards and is preparing for her first solo exhibition in London’s Marylebone.

King has worked with a number of established galleries, including Thompson’s Gallery (London & Aldeburgh), Prince & Pilgrim (Richmond) and Clifton Fine Art (Bristol). Her work is held in private collections across the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States. She lives and works from her studio in Norwich.