In Henry Ward’s London home, every room seems to pulse with the rhythm of painting. From his kitchen table to the garden shed studio, and a more traditional workspace in between, this multifaceted artist – painter, sculptor, writer and educator – embraces a free-spirited, almost nomadic approach to making. Born in Essex in 1971, he has spent over three decades navigating the shifting boundaries between the real and the abstract.
A practice in constant motion
Henry Ward is drawn to bold gestures, layered surfaces, colours that run wild and speak, in their own way, of a world out of sync. His paintings balance sharp geometry with spontaneity. There’s always a quiet tension, a play between control and surrender.
Trained at Central Saint Martins, Winchester School of Art, Goldsmiths and Middlesex University, Ward also holds a PhD. His work has been exhibited in leading galleries including Flowers, Messums, Aleph Contemporary and Kittoe Contemporary. His recent London shows have cemented a growing institutional recognition, while selections for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize and the inaugural Football Art Prize speak to his ongoing relevance on the contemporary scene.
Art as transmission
Henry Ward doesn’t stop at gallery walls. Education runs deep in his practice. Alongside his artistic pursuits, he led the Freelands Foundation, where he launched the Freelands Painting Prize in 2020. He has also headed education at the Southbank Centre and taught at Welling School. You’ll often find him giving talks at art schools across the UK, from Bath Spa to Wimbledon.
In 2023, Ward’s residency at the Albers Foundation in Connecticut sparked a new body of work, soon to be published in a monograph titled Bethany (2025). The book brings together paintings, texts and conversations with fellow artists such as Amy Sillman and Jenni Lomax – a reflection on process, gesture and material.
His works now reside in Soho House collections, in the UK Department for Education, and in private collections across Canada, the US and Bermuda. A discreet yet assured presence – much like the path he’s chosen to follow.
