Ellis King is a contemporary British figurative painter based in Norwich, UK. Working primarily in portraiture, her practice explores the emotional and political realities of womanhood, examining how identity is shaped by memory, resilience, motherhood and systemic inequality.

Her paintings focus on the intimate experiences that can be difficult to articulate — vulnerability, change, expectation, loss, strength and the complicated realities of women’s lives. Through her figures, King considers the ways women are seen, understood and judged, and the expectations that continue to shape our relationship with our bodies, identities and experiences. Her work seeks to make visible the quieter aspects of womanhood that are often overlooked, dismissed or left unspoken.

King has exhibited widely across the UK and is building a growing national profile. She appeared on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 12), and in 2025 was awarded the SQFT:Space Gallery Exhibition Prize at the Women in Art Prize. In 2026, she was runner-up in the inaugural WellHung Painting Prize.

King has worked with 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.

Ellis King (b. 1989)
Social: @elliskingart
Email: hi@ellisking.co.uk

Press and Publications

2026 – Eight Female Artists Who Met Online Exhibited Together at KIT FORM, Bristol 24/7
2025 – Portrait Artist of the Year Season 12, Sky Arts
2025 – Celebrating daring voices and new perspectives in contemporary art, Luxury London Living
2025 – Artist Interview, “How Ellis King is Exposing the Realities of Modern Womanhood”, Arts To Hearts Projects
2025 – Artist Series Blog with Heath Kane
2025 – Artist Series – Ellis King, by Heath Kane
2022 – Podcast Guest, The Flying Fruit Bowl
2021 – Cover Design & Illustration, The Food Fighters E-Cookbook
2020 – Window Design, Bread Source, Norwich

Art Fairs

2025 – Manchester Art Fair, Manchester
2025 – The Other Art Fair, Truman Brewery, London
2024 – Manchester Art Fair, Manchester
2024 – Affordable Art Fair, with Clifton Fine Art, London
2024 – The Other Art Fair, Truman Brewery, London
2023 – Art Fair East, St Andrews Hall, Norwich

Exhibitions

2026 – Spilled Milk, SQFT:Space, London Marylebone
2026 – REJECTS, RA Summer Exhibition Rejects. Art Friend Gallery, London
2026 – Wellhung Painting Prize, London
2026 – LIKE, Connected Online. Exhibited IRL. KIT FORM, Bristol
2026 – Good Things (Come In Small Packages), Prince & Pilgrim, Richmond
2026 – BTA Art Prize, Virtual Exhibition
2025 – ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London
2025 – Female Five Million, BobCat Gallery, London
2025 – Women In Art, Marylebone Gallery
2025 – Silicon Gods, Ministry of Sound, London
2025 – With Heath Kane, Saffron Walden
2024 – Late Summer Exhibition, Holton Lodge Barn
2024 – Thompson’s Annual Exhibition, Thompson’s Gallery, Aldeburgh
2024 – Summer Exhibition, Prince & Pilgrim, Richmond
2022 – Contemporary Art, Brick Lane Gallery, London
2022 – Humans – Strength and Frailty, The Yare Gallery, Great Yarmouth
2022 – New Artist, Boomer Gallery, London
2021 – Nostalgia, The Holy Art, London
2021 – Facade, The Holy Art, London

Awards

2026 – Runner Up, Wellhung Painting Prize
2026 – Longlist, Jackson’s Art Prize
2026 – Shortlist, BTA Art Prize
2025 – Square Feet Gallery Exhibition Prize Winner, Women In Art Prize
2025 – Shortlist (Final 22), Women In Art Prize
2024 – Selected Artist, 100 Emerging Artists, Arts To Hearts Project