Archie Franks
Archie Franks is a British painter whose works explore familiar cultural motifs such the fairground, puddings and football. Memory, decadence, and a heightened sense of unreality permeate his imagery, often revealing the haunting undertones that nostalgia can evoke.
Archie's inspirations include the atmospheric lighting in Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s paintings, modern advertisements for food, and Caravaggio’s iconic still lives. His swift, often highly textured brushwork echoes the transient nature of pleasure and fun - but a sense of foreboding can be detected. Turbulent skies loom above a fairground ride, and white-kitted cricket players appear like ghosts, conjuring up a sense of Englishness - and an unsettling reminder of cricket’s colonial exportation.
Archie studied at City & Guilds of London Art School and the Royal Academy Schools, graduating in 2012. The following year he exhibited in Bloomberg New Contemporaries and was awarded the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting, which included a one-year, fully funded residency at the British School at Rome. He was awarded the Jerwood Painting Fellowship in 2016, concluding with a UK-wide touring exhibition that opened at Jerwood Space in London. In 2025 he was selected for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. We recently exhibited Archie’s work in our group exhibition A Day at the Seaside and launched three new prints at the 2025 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. Archie lives and works in south east London.
Photograph of Archie by Julie Kim © The Essential School of Painting
Shop work by Archie Franks
Linocut, 20 x 24.5cm, edition of 20
Archie Franks is a British painter whose works explore familiar cultural motifs such the fairground, puddings and football. Memory, decadence, and a heightened sense of unreality permeate his imagery, often revealing the haunting undertones that nostalgia can evoke.
Archie's inspirations include the atmospheric lighting in Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s paintings, modern advertisements for food, and Caravaggio’s iconic still lives. His swift brushwork echoes the transient nature of pleasure and fun - but a sense of foreboding can be detected.
This playful new linocut print is being launched by Oliver Projects Gallery at the 2025 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. It is part of a group of new limited edition prints by Archie which celebrate much-loved British treats in a bold, graphic style including a Mr Whippy ice cream, a packet of fruit pastilles and a garish supermarket ham sandwich. Each print is signed and numbered on the front by the artist.
Archie studied at City & Guilds of London Art School and the Royal Academy Schools, graduating in 2012. The following year he exhibited in Bloomberg New Contemporaries and was awarded the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting, which included a one-year, fully-funded residency at the British School at Rome. He was awarded the Jerwood Painting Fellowship in 2016, concluding with a UK-wide touring exhibition that opened at Jerwood Space in London. In 2025 he was selected for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Archie lives and works in south east London.
Linocut, 24.5 x 18.5cm, edition of 20
Archie Franks is a British painter whose works explore familiar cultural motifs such the fairground, puddings and football. Memory, decadence, and a heightened sense of unreality permeate his imagery, often revealing the haunting undertones that nostalgia can evoke.
Archie's inspirations include the atmospheric lighting in Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s paintings, modern advertisements for food, and Caravaggio’s iconic still lives. His swift brushwork echoes the transient nature of pleasure and fun - but a sense of foreboding can be detected.
This playful new linocut print is being launched by Oliver Projects Gallery at the 2025 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. It is part of a group of new limited edition prints by Archie which celebrate much-loved British treats in a bold, graphic style including a Mr Whippy ice cream, a packet of fruit pastilles and a supermarket ham sandwich. Each print is signed and numbered on the front by the artist.
Archie studied at City & Guilds of London Art School and the Royal Academy Schools, graduating in 2012. The following year he exhibited in Bloomberg New Contemporaries and was awarded the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting, which included a one-year, fully-funded residency at the British School at Rome. He was awarded the Jerwood Painting Fellowship in 2016, concluding with a UK-wide touring exhibition that opened at Jerwood Space in London. In 2025 he was selected for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Archie lives and works in south east London.
Linocut, 20 x 24.5cm, edition of 20
Archie Franks is a British painter whose works explore familiar cultural motifs such the fairground, puddings and football. Memory, decadence, and a heightened sense of unreality permeate his imagery, often revealing the haunting undertones that nostalgia can evoke.
Archie's inspirations include the atmospheric lighting in Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s paintings, modern advertisements for food, and Caravaggio’s iconic still lives. His swift brushwork echoes the transient nature of pleasure and fun - but a sense of foreboding can be detected.
This playful new linocut print is being launched by Oliver Projects Gallery at the 2025 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair. It is part of a group of new limited edition prints by Archie which celebrate much-loved British treats in a bold, graphic style including a Mr Whippy ice cream, a packet of fruit pastilles and a supermarket ham sandwich. Each print is signed and numbered on the front by the artist.
Archie studied at City & Guilds of London Art School and the Royal Academy Schools, graduating in 2012. The following year he exhibited in Bloomberg New Contemporaries and was awarded the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting, which included a one-year, fully-funded residency at the British School at Rome. He was awarded the Jerwood Painting Fellowship in 2016, concluding with a UK-wide touring exhibition that opened at Jerwood Space in London. In 2025 he was selected for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Archie lives and works in south east London.