Marcus Hodge is a British contemporary artist whose work is known for its vitality and sculptural use of paint. In the earliest stage of his career, Marcus worked as a stable hand on a thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky, before moving to Spain to undertake a rigorous five year training in classical oil painting. He returned to the UK in 1996, and initially made his name as a portrait painter, very much in the vivid Spanish ‘Alla Prima’ style. Within two years, he exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. Marcus first travelled to India in 2000 and this was the start of a fascination with the country which, along with horses, became a driving inspiration behind his work.
With each solo exhibition which followed, his style constantly evolved to become bolder and simpler as figurative painting was joined by a move towards abstraction. Central to his work in both genres, is the juxtaposition of energy and stillness, where visceral layers of paint interact to reveal a glimpse of what lies beneath. The Gateways exhibition in 2017 represented a pivotal moment Marcus' established career, as it fused his love of India with abstraction. The themes of gateways and windows were clear metaphors for this transformation which gave the materials far greater expression, unencumbered by representation. Different tools such as large spatulas, knives and lengths of wood were used to introduce the elements of risk, chance and opportunity. Each painting becomes unique in the artist's search for the unexpected.
Almost 40 years after being a stable hand in Kentucky, Marcus is returning to Lexington once again, as an artist, to attend the Breeders' Cup in 2026.
Solo Exhibitions:
2001 Fine Art Commissions, Cork Street London
2002 FAC, Cork Street London
2004 FAC, Walton Street London
2011 FAC at the Tryon Gallery London
2014 Osborne Studio Gallery London
2015 The Jerram Gallery Sherborne
2017 Rountree Tryon Gallery London
2019 ArtMoorHouse London
2021 Osborne Studio Gallery London
2024 Osborne Studio Gallery London
2026 Osborne Studio Gallery London
Selected Collective Exhibitions
1992-7 Austin Galleries Austin, USA
1996 Cadogan Contemporary London
1997-01 Royal Society of Portrait Painters Mall Galleries, London
2005 Osborne Studio Gallery London
2002-11 artLondon with FAC London
2012 Majlis Gallery Dubai
2016-18 Rountree Tryon Gallery London and Petworth
2020+21 Rountree Tryon Petworth, Uk
2018-25 Hollandridge London & Henley
2018-26 Crossgate Gallery Lexington, USA