1947 Born in Glasgow
1969 Cape Technical College
1970-1976 Worked as designer in advertising
1976 Finally as Creative Director of BBDO International, Cape Town Began drawing and painting (self-taught as a painter)
1976-77 Lived in England
1977 Taught design, Cape Technicon
1978-79 Taught design and drawing, Ruth Prowse School of Art
1983-95 Taught drawing at the Department of Creative Arts, University of Stellenbosch
1996 Moved to England
2007 Winner of the BP Portrait Award 2007
2012 Commissioned to paint the first official portrait of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

Paul Emsley was born in Glasgow in 1947 but grew up in South Africa. He moved to England in 1996. He specialises in large depictions of single subjects, mainly animals, but also the human face, landscapes and flowers. His preferred method is black and white chalk drawings although he also paints in oil or acrylic on canvas and sometimes in water-colour.

He was at Cape Technical College in 1969, subsequently earning a living as a designer in advertising. Aged twenty-nine he began to draw and paint. After exhibiting widely he taught drawing and painting from 1983 at the Department of Creative Arts, Stellenbosch University.

His first solo exhibition at the Redfern was in 1994. Since 1978 his work has been shown in North and South America as well as South Africa. Among various awards he won First Prize, Singer and Friedlander/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition in 2002. In 2007 he won the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

His work is in the British Museum, London, and in various public collections in South Africa including the South African National Gallery.

Solo Exhibitions
1981 University of Stellenbosch
1982 Solo Exhibition, South African Association of Arts, Cape Town
1993 Solo Exhibition, Sasol Art Museum, University of Ste
1994 Solo Exhibition, The Redfern Gallery, London
1994 Galerie Levy, Hamburg Acro International Art Fair, Madrid
1994 Bury St. Edmunds Gallery, London
1994 Paul Emsley, Drawings, Redfern Gallery, London
1994 Gerhard Werzer Gallery, Houston
1994 Dickins and Rigg Gallery, Hong Kong
1995 Solo Exhibition, The Redfern Gallery, London
1995 Represented South Africa in the United Nations Right to Hope exhibition
1996 Solo Exhibition, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York
1999 Solo Exhibition, The Redfern Gallery, London
2004 Balatro Gallery, Palm Beach
2011 Solo Exhibition, The Redfern Gallery, London
2012 Retrospective Exhibition, Wordfest Artist, Sasol Art Museum, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Group Exhibitions
1978-79 SA touring USA and São Paulo
1979 Cape Town Biennial
1982 Cape Town Triennial
1985 Cape Town Triennial
1987 Standard Bank National Drawing Competition
1987 Drawing exhibition: University of the Orange Free State
1991 Drawing competition: South African Association of Arts, Cape Town
1991 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
1995 Panormas of Passage, Exhibition of South African Art touring U.S.A.
1996 Glasgow Art Fair, The Redfern Gallery
1996 Chicago Art Fair, Mary Ryan Gallery
1997 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
1998 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2000 Geneva Art Fair
2000 Discerning Eye, London
2000 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2000 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2001 1st Painting Open, RWA, Bristol
2001 Art Palm Beach
2001 Discerning Eye
2001 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2001 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2001 Geneva Art Fair
2002 Jerwood Drawing Prize
2002 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2002 Art London, London
2002 Art Palm Beach, United States
2002 Hunting Art Prizes
2003 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2003 Art Palm Beach, The Redfern Gallery, London
2003 Art London, The Redfern Gallery, London
2003 20/21 British Art Fair, The Redfern Gallery, London
2003 London Art Fair, London
2003 Tooth and Claw, RWA, Bristol
2004 Naked, RWA, Bristol
2004 Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2004 Art Palm Beach, The Redfern Gallery
2004 Balatro Gallery, Palm Beach, United States
2004 Art London, The Redfern Gallery
2004 20/21 British Art Fair, The Redfern Gallery
2004 London Art Fair, The Redfern Gallery
2005 Jerwood Drawing Prize
2005 20/21 London
2005 Art London
2005 London Art Fair, London
2005 Art Palm Beach
2005 Group Exhibition, Jill George Gallery, London
2006 London Art Fair, London
2006 20/21, London
2006 Art Palm Beach, United States
2006 Art London, London
2007 Art Palm Beach, United States
2007 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2007 BP Portrait Awards, National Portrait Gallery, London
2007 Art London, London
2007 London Art Fair, London
2008 London Art Fair, London
2008 Art Palm Beach, United States
2008 Art London, London
2008 Victoria Gallery, Bath, Exhibition of BP Award Winning Portrait
2008 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2009 London Art Fair, London
2009 Johannesburg Art Fair, South Africa
2009 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2010 Johannesburg Art Fair, South Africa
2010 Masterpiece, London
2010 Art London, London
2010 London Art Fair, London
2011 Masterpiece, London
2011 Johannesburg Art Fair, South Africa
2012 Masterpiece, London

Public Collections
National Portrait Gallery, London
British Museum
South African National Gallery
Johannesburg Art Gallery
University of the Witwaterstrand
University of Stellenbosch
University of the Orange Free State
William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley
Sasol Collection
Sanlam Collection
Northwesstern University, Chicago


Awards
2008 UWE. Drawing Prize. RWA Autumn Exhibition
2007 BP Portrait Award. First Prize
2005 Silver Award for Works on Paper. British Interior Design Association. Art London
2004 UWE Drawing Prize. RWA Autumn Exhibition
2003 3rd Prize: Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2002 1st Prize: Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2001 3rd Prize: Singer & Friedlander Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
2001 Commended: RWA 1st Painting Open
2000 Bovis-Architects Journal Special Award, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
1987 Merit Award; Standard Bank National Drawing Competition