Henry Hudson is a contemporary British artist living in London who works across painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation and printmaking. Hudson’s critical practice is expressed through the exploration of various techniques and materials, plasticine, scagliola, oil painting, 3D printing, wax, sand and textiles.

Born to a creative family in 1982 in Bath, Hudson’s father is a British sculptor, and his mother is an American chef. Raised in Yorkshire, Hudson’s professional interest in art emerged in his mid-teens. He studied at Ampleforth College and later received a degree from Central Saint Martins, London, with a BA Honors in 2005.

For the past several years, Hudson has been best known for his distinctive use of plasticine as an artistic medium in the creation of textured paintings. He was initially inspired by School of London artists such as Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach, who were known for their works rendered in thick impasto oil paint. He began using plasticine as an economical way to achieve a similar effect to the densely layered paint. As he developed his practice, he soon discovered the theatrical and expressive qualities peculiar to the medium. This offered him an innovative and exciting way to develop his painterly technique, focus on materiality, and passion for gestural expression. It has remained an evolving staple of Hudson's practice. Recently, he started using plaster and glue as an artistic medium for the first time in his “Scagliola” series, which allows for quicker and less labor-intensive execution compared to his plasticine paintings.

Hudson’s work thematically covers much ground, from exploring social stereotypes to satirizing the madness of contemporary life. His scenes are often theatrical and, at first glance, appear playful, yet this humor masks a darker picture that reveals a grotesque and depraved version of humanity. Scattered throughout the works are references to contemporary political affairs, the idols of consumerism, and obscene products of salacious desire. Hudson depicts a world that, at first glance, seems trapped in the depth of hedonistic excess. However, closer inspection reveals glimpses of hope and reminders of the fundamentals that keep us grounded in a deeper level of reality.

An insightful article highlighting Hudson and his work was published in January 2025.

https://fungaonline.com/

Hudson has had numerous solo and group shows, and his work is collected by notable figures such as Robert Hiscox, Marc Quinn, Jay Jopling, Katrin Henkel, Mario Testino, Tommy Hilfiger, and Peter Gabriel.

Selected Solo Shows:

·   2025 - Upcoming

An upcoming solo show at Galerie Kandlhofer, Vienna, Austria, scheduled for December

An upcoming solo show at Carl Kostyál, London, UK, scheduled for September

·   2024

“Sanctuary Room: Cave of the Mind”, Palo Gallery, New York, USA

·   2023

“Painting with Sculpture: Reflections on the State of the Nature”, Unit London, London, UK

·   2022

“Shanti”, Unit London, London, UK

“Ontological Spherescapes”, Palo Gallery, New York, USA

“Scapes”, Unit London, London, UK

·   2021

“Henry Hudson: Microcosm”, Online viewing room from Simon de Pury’s Instagram account along with physical exhibitions in the artist studio, London, UK

·   2020

“Pathway”, Galerie Kandlhofer, Vienna, Austria

“At Some Point of Time”, Galerie Isa, Mumbai, India

·   2019

“Henry Hudson: Nothing Sticks to Nothing”, Hannah Barry Gallery, London, UK

·   2018

“Henry Hudson: Jungles”, Albion Barn & Fields, Oxfordshire, UK

·   2017

“Sun City Tanning”, Carl Kostyál, London, UK

·   2016

“Sun City Tanning”, Sotheby’s S|2 gallery, New York, USA

Selected Group Shows:

·   2024

“AI & Technology Influence on Contemporary Art”, curated by Virginia Damtsa at Gabriel Scott’s showroom, London, UK

“The Hudsons, Family Ties”, Claridge’s ArtSpace, London, UK

·   2023

“ART021 Shanghai Contemporary”, Art Fair – Unit London, Shanghai, China

“Ten: A Decade of Unit”, Unit London, London, UK

“Eye of the Collector”, Art Fair at Two Temple Place, London, UK

“London Calling”, Unit London, London, UK

·   2022

“Manscaping”, The Hole, New York and Los Angeles, USA

“Summer Show”, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK

“In The Round”, Unit London, London, UK

·   2021

“Nature Morte”, The Hole, New York, USA

“Rites of Passage”, Unit London, London, UK

·   2020

“Inspiration – Iconic Works”, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm , Sweden

“The Eternity Exhibition”, The Painting Rooms, London, UK

·   2019

“Multiples”, Bridgeman Editions, London, UK

·   2018

“Tom Hammick x Henry Hudson: Isolated Exteriors”, Bridgeman Editions, London, UK

“New Work Part II: Material”, Cob Gallery, London, UK

·   2017

“Summer Show”, Carl Kostyál, Stockholm, Sweden

“I Lost My Heart To Starship Trooper”, Griffin Gallery, London, UK

·   2016

“Naturalia”, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA

These four paintings are from the “Scagliola” series, a body of works that visualizes the city’s iconic buildings as they are reflected on the river’s surface. From the Thames Barrier to Windsor Great Park, these works remember an important time in the city’s history, marking the winding river as a place of sanctuary during difficult times both past and present.

The works themselves, made of plaster, glue, and pigment, replicate the geological layers of the riverbed. The material, able to morph from liquid to solid, echoes the fluidity of the river’s ebb and flow. Hudson’s methods are drawn from a process known as scagliola, a practice popularized in the 17th century and dormant in recent years.

Recently, there has been significant and increasing interest in the “Scagliola” works from collectors and dealers.