Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy Peltz says he was "the leading portrait artist of the 18th-century and arguably one of the greatest artists in the history of art." He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting, which depended on idealisation of the imperfect. He was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts and was knighted by George III in 1769. He has been referred to as the 'master who revolutionised British Art.' Reynolds had a famously prolific studio that produced over 2,000 paintings during his lifetime. Ellis Waterhouse estimated those works the painter did 'think worthy' at 'hardly less than a hundred paintings which one would like to take into consideration, either for their success, their originality, or their influence.' Of these, Portrait of Omai is probably his best known work and has been described by Simon Schama as "one of the greatest things British art has ever produced [and] one of the all time, timeless masterpieces that painting can produce." Waterhouse considered The Marlborough Family as 'the most monumental achievement of British portraiture' and that 'Reynolds' genius came to full flower in the diversity and geniality he was able to give to his full-length portraits' like Portrait of Philip Gell and Portrait of the Earl of Carlisle. Thomas Lawrence rated Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse as "indisputably the finest female portrait in the world." Neil Jeffares adds that Portrait of Robert Orme was 'surely one of the great eighteenth-century European portraits.' The price paid for the exceptional Portrait of Omai in 2023 was £50 million – far more than had ever been paid for an 18th-century picture. This was followed two years later by the sale of the iconic full-length Portrait of Lady Worsley for £25 million. Also in 2025, the full-length Portrait of Mrs. Lloyd was acquired by the National Trust for acceptance in lieu of tax of £17.5 million by H M Government (the way the scheme is structured meant the open market price calculation of the picture would be substantially higher than £17.5 million.) Jonathan Jones says 'that puts Reynolds in the superstar category, way beyond his contemporaries, and competing with the likes of Damien Hirst and Lucian Freud.' 'Reynolds is not remote or staid at all. He's the portraitist of the Enlightenment, a daring artist who captured a daring age.'