Raoul Martinez

Coming from a family of writers and artists, it was little surprise Raoul had artistic ambitions from an early age. Inspired by the workshops of Renaissance Florence and the ateliers of 19th century Paris, he spent his childhood dreaming of following in the footsteps of his artistic heroes and one day studying as an apprentice in an artist’s studio. Described as a child-prodigy by Charles Peattie of the Daily Telegraph, it was not long before Raoul was receiving the attention and mentorship of established artists. This led to an invitation to work as an apprentice in the studio of an internationally renowned portrait painter — a position uniquely created for Raoul. At the age of 17, on his final day of college Raoul received his first commission to paint the great-grandchildren of Edith Sitwell — the Sitwell family being famous sitters of one of Raoul’s great influences, John Singer Sargent.

During the apprenticeship, in a studio hosting everyone from heads of state to rock stars, Raoul had the opportunity to immerse himself in the art of painting portraits from life. After a fruitful two and a half years of intense training, he left to set up his own studio. Since then he has exhibited in numerous galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery, and has painted a number of prestigious sitters, including HH Dalai Lama. He was recently shortlisted to paint HRH Duke of Edinburgh.

Recent Exhibitons