Richard Butler Bowdon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957 |
| Nationality | South African; later Australian resident |
| Known for | Painting, portraiture, installation |
| Style | Contemporary figurative; abstract-figurative |
Richard Butler Bowdon (born 1957) is a South African-born contemporary visual artist whose practice spans figurative painting and installation. He lives and works in Melbourne, Australia and has exhibited internationally since the 1990s, including selection as a finalist in the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra’s Darling Portrait Prize 2024. [1] [2] His work has been presented by galleries including EBONY/Curated (Cape Town) and First Floor Gallery Harare and featured in institutional exhibitions such as Africa Supernova at Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort (2023-2024). [3] [4] [5]
Butler Bowdon was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1957. He has lived and worked in multiple countries including Sudan, Thailand, the Netherlands and Australia experiences that inform his subject matter and approach to the figure. [5] [6]
The artist’s practice combines portraiture with abstracted and symbolic elements, often engaging with identity, migration and lived experience. Recent series and studio-led portrait studies explore contemporary sitters and social narratives, including work developed in London and Melbourne. [7] [8]
Butler Bowdon has exhibited in solo and group contexts since the 1990s across Australia and internationally with presentations at venues such as Nexus Multicultural Gallery (Adelaide), Spencer Street Gallery (Melbourne) and BUS Gallery (Melbourne). [9]
He was a finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize 2024 at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, with his portrait Nyadol Nyuon OAM (2023). [1] The work was highlighted by the Gallery and covered in press during the exhibition run (22 June –13 October 2024). [10] [11]
His paintings have been included in Africa Supernova (24 September 2023 – 7 January 2024), an institutional survey of contemporary African painting at Kunsthal KAdE, drawn from the Carla and Pieter Schulting Collection. [3] [12]
Butler Bowdon’s work has been shown by EBONY/Curated (Cape Town and Franschhoek) and First Floor Gallery Harare and appears in private and curated collections internationally, including the Dubai Collection. [4] [5] [13]
The artist’s portrait practice has received attention in Australia; media coverage of the Darling Portrait Prize described his Nyadol Nyuon OAM (2023) as reflective and human-centred and noting its contemplative tenor within the finalist cohort. [14]
Butler Bowdon has lived and worked in several countries and is based in Melbourne, Australia. His nomadic background and cross-cultural experiences are frequently cited by galleries and profiles discussing his practice. [5] [6]
| Year | Exhibition | Venue / Location | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Darling Portrait Prize 2024 (finalist) | National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia | [1] |
| 2023–2024 | Africa Supernova | Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, Netherlands | [3] |
| 2018 | The Existentialist and Others | EBONY/Curated, Cape Town, South Africa | [7] |