Anthony Daley is a Caribbean-British abstract expressionist painter born in Jamaica in 1960. He moved to the United Kingdom in the 1970s and has lived in south London ever since.

He received his bachelor's degree in fine art from Wimbledon School of Art in 1982 and his master's degree in fine art from Chelsea School of Art in 1983. In 1984, Daley was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Painting Fellowship.

Since graduation from the Chelsea College of Arts in the early 80s, the artist has become increasingly celebrated for his captivating ability to seamlessly blend vibrant colors in an explosive and overwhelming fugue, presenting other worldly meditations that provide a unique portal to the infinite and engaging the viewer in a compelling dialogue between tradition and the dynamic aspects of modernity.

When Daley's Greenwich studio was sold in the mid-1990s, he took his only break from painting, traveling in the US and Europe and seeking a more secure financial footing for his life. On his return to London, however, he took on a new space in Deptford, where he has worked ever since.

Since the 1990s, he has also been teaching with Chris Ofili among his former students at Chelsea College of Art.

Although deeply grounded in abstraction, Daley's works have often begun by painting still life arrangements, which he then reworks until they lose their form and evoke an emotional response. The improvisational drips of paint and explosive color fields that recur across his canvases are indicative of his dedication to the raw physical act of painting and demonstrate the

central importance Daley has always placed on the process of art-making itself and, above all, searching for new painterly possibilities. He is a man whose entire career has been defined by the pursuit of beauty, producing works of phosphorescent transcendence that tip a nod the painterly genius of the Old Masters while, simultaneously, communicating something vital and contemporary.

Daley started exhibiting in 1983 with the Flowers Gallery in London after being awarded the first-ever Artist of the Day. Since then, he has shown his work in numerous galleries and museums, including the Barbican Arts Centre in London (1990), the Studio Museum in Harlem, NY (1999), and the Pulchri Studio in The Hague (2014).

His works are held in prestigious public collections, including Tate Britain (since 2021) and the National Portrait Gallery (since 2022), as well as notable private collections such as those of the Royal Family of England, François Pinault, Laurence Graff, and Dakis Joannou. He also held an acclaimed exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery titled “Son of Rubens” (August 27, 2022 - April 2, 2023).

Selected Solo Shows:

·   2025

A solo show at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, is scheduled for October (Upcoming)

A selling exhibition at Christie’s, London, UK, is scheduled for May (Upcoming)

·   2024

“Irreality - Antony Daley”, Varvara Roza Galleries in collaboration with The Blender Gally, London, UK

“Swan Paintings”, Flowers Gallery (Viewing Room), London, UK

·   2023

“Anthony Daley”, Flowers Gallery, London, UK

·   2022

“Anthony Daley: Son of Rubens”, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK

·   2021

“Anthony Daley: Corporeality”, Gallery OCA, London, UK

Selected Group Shows:

·   2025

A show at the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, London, Uk, is scheduled for December (Upcoming)

·   2024

“42nd Edition: Small is Beautiful”, Flowers Gallery,  London, UK

“Moonlighting (a bite on the side)”, Art in Perpetuity Trust (APT) Gallery, London, UK

“Resonant Harmonies”, Standing Pine Gallery, Nagoya & Tokyo, Japan  

·   2022

“Atlantic World Art Fair”, Gallery OCA, Online on Artsy platform

·   2021

“The Summer Exhibition”, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK

“Gift”, Art in Perpetuity Trust (APT) Gallery, London, UK

“The Cast of Things”, Art in Perpetuity Trust (APT) Gallery, London, UK

“Autumn Attic”, Flowers Gallery, London, UK 

·   2020

“Can’t Stop Our Flow”, JM Gallery, London, UK

“25”, Art in Perpetuity Trust (APT) Gallery, London, UK

·   2015

“Small is Beautiful”, Flowers Gallery, London, UK

·   2014

“Small is Beautiful”, Flowers Gallery, London, UK

·   2010

“Depford Painters”, Arch Gallery, London, UK

This painting is part of a new body of work exhibited at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London (August 27, 2022 – April 2, 2023), titled “Son of Rubens.” The exhibition delves into Daley’s career-long fascination with the work of 17th-century Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, particularly his enduring interest in “Venus, Mars and Cupid” (c. 1635), one of the gallery’s most iconic pieces.

Rubens was celebrated for his mastery of color and texture through the medium of paint, a skill that inspired Daley to explore how the art of the past continues to provide rich material for contemporary reinterpretation. Through the lens of abstraction, Daley’s works echo Rubens in their use of shades, shapes, and tonal contrasts, particularly the soft hues of white and pink. This series of works reflects Daley’s innovative approach to channeling historical influences into fresh, modern expressions.