CURRICULUM VITAE
HAZEL SOAN
Hazel Soan was born in the UK, studied painting at Camberwell and LeicesterArt
Colleges, graduating with a BA Hons in Fine Art, and awarded the Holbrook Trust
Prize from Nottingham Museum and Art Gallery in 1976.
Her career includes over 20 one man shows in London and the UK and abroad
in Venezuela and Southern Africa. She has participated in numerous mixed exhibitions
including the Royal Academy, Barbican, Midland Open, Mall Galleries, many London
and provincial galleries, USA and Tokyo. The main themes of her contemporary,
figurative oils and watercolours explore the individual and group shapes of
people, animals and landscapes touched, surrounded or backed by light. Her
work is represented in private, public and corporate collections worldwide.
The National Portrait Gallery, London, recently acquired an ink drawing of
the photographer Bill Brandt for its collections.
Hazel Soan is known to the viewing public through her television series, ‘Splash
of Colour’, made by Anglia TV, and for her role as Art Expert on Channel
4’s painting programme, ‘Watercolour Challenge’.
Among her many commissions are the foyer murals for the Durban Hilton, Watercolours
for the Playboy Club, Artwork for the English National Opera (Faust) and, for
the last 5 years she has been the watercolour artist for the Ritz Club’s
Calendar. She also writes a bi-monthly article for the Norwegian Art Magazine ‘Kunst
for Alle’
Other public and corporate collections include Chelsea and Westminster Hospital,
The BBC, BP, Trowbridge Museum and Art Gallery, The Lister Hospital, ICI, Amoco,
British Lung Foundation, Nazareth House, Frank Warren Promotions, Maxims, The
Churchill, The Hilton Conrad, and other hotels worldwide. Her wildlife watercolours
have also been sold through auction at Sotheby’s and Christies.
Published by HarperCollins she is the author of 6 books on painting, the
most recent being ‘Hazel Soan’s African Watercolours’ (2003),
a physical and visual safari through Southern Africa. Hazel has been travelling
in Africa since 1981 and now shares her life between London and Cape Town.