5 things you need to know about Nicolas Party

This summer, the Museum presents Copper & Dust, an exhibition and site-specific mural by contemporary artist Nicolas Party.

Here are 5 key things you need to know about him…

  1. Party was born in Lausanne in 1980. His childhood in Switzerland imprinted upon him an early fascination with landscape and the natural world.
  2. Prior to studying at the Lausanne School of Art and the Glasgow School of Art, Party was known for his work as a graffiti artist. He gained attention early in his career for Landscape (2013), a public mural in Glasgow.
  3. His works are primarily created in soft pastel. This choice of medium allows for exceptional degrees of intensity and fluidity.
  4. Among the artists Party cites as influences are Pablo Picasso, Giorgio Morandi and Félix Vallotton. Others include Rosalba Carriera, Rachel Ruysch and Milton Avery.
  5. This is Party’s second exhibition in a public institution in the UK, and the first time he has made one of the site-specific wall paintings for which he has become known internationally. Over the last five years, he has held solo exhibitions in South Korea, the United States, Canada, China, and in various European locations including Baden-Baden, Dijon and Brussels.
Man with dark hair and beard in a patterned white jumper and dark trousers, against a wall with pink, grey and white shapes on it.
Artist photograph by Richmond Lam
Nicolas Party: Copper & Dust on show at the Holburne until 31 August 2025

 

Nicolas Party, Landscape, 2025, oil on copper. Photography Adam Reich. Courtesy of the Artist and The Modern Institute

 

The Holburne Museum