VICTORIA RUSSELL (B. 1965)
The Audience II
signed and dated V. Russell 97 (on each canvas overlap)
oil on canvas, triptych, unframed
210 x 226 cm (82 3/4 x 89 in), three panels together

PROVENANCE:
with Cassian de Vere Cole Fine Art, London

EXHIBITED:
London, Cassian de Vere Cole Fine Art, Victoria Russell: Paintings, November 1997

I like the moment of animation when everyone bursts into applause, a coming together of everybody... I like the way audiences dress up. There is a sort of theatre about the way people look, the sparkling earrings, the costumes.

Victoria Russell, The Times

A figurative painter from Hackney, in 2000 Russell won one of the most prestigious awards, the National Portrait Gallery's BP Portrait Award. The Audience II is an ambitious, confident large-scale work. The fine amount of controlled detail imbues the piece with particular energy and makes the excitement of the audience palpable to the viewer. The central figure is possibly based on Zoe Ball, famous for being the first female host of The Radio 1 & 2 Breakfast Show for the BBC and presenting Live and Kicking at the BBC. In 2005 she reached third place as a contestant in the TV show Strictly Come Dancing partneted with Ian Waite.