Nicolas Party

Known for: large-scale pastel painting of landscapes and still lifes

Nicolas Party studied at the Glasgow School of Art and has developed a practice of pastel painting — large-scale landscapes, still lifes, and portraits in saturated, unexpected color — that draws on early Italian Renaissance painting, the Nabis, and Symbolism while remaining formally contemporary. He applies pastel directly to the wall or to panel in layers, building up a surface of extraordinary chromatic depth. His large-scale still lifes and portraits now sell for several million dollars at auction.