Gill Button: Emotional Portraiture Between Glamour and Vulnerability
Gill Button, a painter based in London, utilizes imagery from fashion and media to create intimate portraits characterized by dynamic brushwork and emotive mark-making. Her subjects, inspired by magazines and film icons, embody themes of vulnerability and introspection. Working with oil, watercolour, and ink, Button has showcased her art globally, featuring solo exhibitions such as 'Traces of You' at James Freeman Gallery in London and 'Edge of Time' at Unit London. She studied illustration at Maidstone College of Art and Kingston School of Art. Her commissioned works include collaborations with Gucci and Vanity Fair. Additionally, her art has been featured in the New York Times, highlighting contemporary media and personal memories while supporting charitable causes.
Key facts
- Gill Button is a London-based painter known for emotional portraiture.
- Her work transforms familiar imagery from fashion and media into expressive paintings.
- She uses oil, watercolour, and ink with visible brushwork.
- Solo exhibitions include 'Traces of You' at James Freeman Gallery, London; Han Feng Art Space, Shanghai; 'Edge of Time' at Unit London; 'From Iceland to Lalaland' at Âme Nue, Hamburg.
- Group exhibitions in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, and Berlin.
- Studied at Maidstone College of Art and Kingston School of Art (BA in illustration).
- Commissions include Gucci, Vanity Fair, the United Nations, and Dries Van Noten.
- Residencies at Han Feng Art Space (Shanghai, New York) and Room on the Roof (Amsterdam, with Rijksmuseum).
- Judged ING Discerning Eye exhibition and led masterclasses.
- Artworks supported charities including Art on a Postcard, Hospital Rooms, Children's Museum of the Arts, British Heart Foundation, and ILO campaigns.
- Paintings featured alongside New York Times articles on technology and intimacy.
Entities
Artists
- Gill Button
Institutions
- James Freeman Gallery
- Han Feng Art Space
- Unit London
- Âme Nue
- ING Discerning Eye
- Maidstone College of Art
- Kingston School of Art
- Gucci
- Vanity Fair
- United Nations
- Dries Van Noten
- Rijksmuseum
- Art on a Postcard
- Hospital Rooms
- Children's Museum of the Arts
- British Heart Foundation
- International Labour Organization
- New York Times
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Shanghai
- China
- Hamburg
- Germany
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Madrid
- Spain
- Paris
- France
- Berlin
- New York
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Iceland
Sources
- AATONAU —