David Agenjo (b. Madrid, 1977) ) is a contemporary realist painter based in London. His work spans portraiture, still life, and explorations of the natural world, often examining the subtle interplay between human and nature. His recent series focuses on landscapes and organic forms from decaying trees and carefully selected flowers to quiet green spaces that reveal traces of human activity while remaining uninhabited.
Agenjo draws inspiration from his immediate surroundings, reinterpreting them on canvas through a slow, layered process. He builds textured surfaces that combine precision with intuition, blending classical and contemporary techniques.
He has exhibited widely across the UK and internationally, including at the Royal Academy and The Mall Galleries in London, the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, and the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin. He has undertaken residencies in China, India, and Spain. Recent awards include the William Barrow Award (2024), the International Confederation of Art Critics Award (2025), and the Paul Henry Landscape Award (2025).
Awards, Honors & Residencies
2025 Winner, Paul Henry Landscape Award, 144th RUA Annual Exhibition - Ulster Museum (Belfast) Artist-in-Residence (2 months) - Rec-On (Almería, Spain)
Winner, International Confederation of Art Critics Award - London Art Biennale
2024 Winner, Julian Barrow Award - Chelsea Art Society (London)
2021 Selected by the Royal Scottish Academicians’ Committee as The Convenors’ Highlight
2019 Finalist, Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize - Mall Galleries (London)
2018 Finalist, Artworks Open 2018 - Barbican Art Group Trust (London)
Featured, RA Summer Exhibition Special Feature - Saatchi Arts (London)
2016 Selected Artist by Creative Debuts for #ArtForTheUnderground - Liverpool Street Station
2014 Selected Artist by Artelista as an International Artist with Strong Investment Potential
Artist-in-Residence (3 months) - Space 118 (Mumbai)
2013 Artist-in-Residence (3 months) - Da Wang Culture Highland (Shenzhen, China)
2012 Featured, New This Week - Saatchi Arts (London)
Selected Exhibitions
2025 144th Annual Exhibition - RUA Shortlist exhibition - Ulster Museum (Belfast)
London Art Biennale - VII Edition - Chelsea Old Town Hall (London)
26th Annual Exhibition - CAS Shortlist exhibition - Chelsea Old Town Hall (London)
2024 25th Annual Exhibition - CAS Shortlist exhibition - Chelsea Old Town Hall (London)
194th Annual Exhibition - RHA Shortlist exhibition - Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (Dublin)
2023 142th Annual Exhibition - RUA Shortlist exhibition - Ulster Museum (Belfast)
193th Annual Exhibition - RHA Shortlist exhibition - Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (Dublin)
2022 141th Annual Exhibition - RUA Shortlist exhibition - Ulster Museum (Belfast)
Wales Contemporary - The Waterfront Gallery - (Milford Haven, Wales)
Resurgence - Kyo Gallery (Old Town Alexandria, US)
117th Annual Exhibition - Shortlist exhibition - Victoria Art Gallery (Bath, UK)
2021 195th Annual Exhibition - RSA Shortlist exhibition - The Royal Scottish Academy of Arts - Online
Annual Open Art Exhibition - The Royal Cambrian Academy (Conwy, Wales)
2020 ING Discerning Eye - Online
2019 A summer Selection - The Doorway Gallery (Dublin)
Lynn Paiter-Stainers Prize Exhibition - RUA Shortlist exhibition - Mall Galleries (London)
2018 250th Summer Exhibition - RA Shortlist exhibition - The Royal Academy of Arts (London)
Artworks Open 2018 - Barbican Arts Group Trust (London)
Portray - Art Nº23 Gallery, The Old Biscuit Factory, Bermondsey (London)
Through Art, Resist & Recover - Kyo Gallery, Old Town Alexandria, Virginia (US)
Mumbai Gallery Weekend 2018 - Studio 118 (Mumbai)
2017 SOLO EXHIBITION - Conscious Journey - D Contemporary, Mayfair (London)
HOME - Random Artists - Ex-Fed warehouse (London)
Fusion III - The Cult House, Candid Arts Trust (London)
2016 Winter Open Exhibition - Oriel Queens Hall Gallery (Narberth, Wales)
Random Artists - Ex-Fed Warehouse (London)
Winter Group Show - The Doorway Gallery (Dublin)
2015 Edinburgh Art Fair with The Doorway Gallery (Edinburgh)
Hang out with us - Norlington Road Studios, Leytonstone (London)
Display at Fox Williams - Go figurative Gallery, Moorgate (London)
2014 Twelve Painters’ Paintings - Go figurative Gallery, Hampstead (London)
Someshta's Garden - Vibe Gallery (London)
2013 Feng Lin Shan Shui Art Show 2013 - Da Wang Culture Highland Art Centre (Shenzhen, China)
The Affordable Art Fair NYC - Blue Tomato Gallery, Metropolitan Pavilion (New York) The Affordable Art Fair - Blue Tomato Gallery, Battersea Park (London)
100%NUDE - Guerilla Galleries, The Daniel Libeskind, Holloway Rd (London)
2012 Cultivation - Cultivate Gallery, Vyner Street (London)
Figure Fragments - BOS 2012, The Coin Locker, Brooklyn (New York)
Body Beautiful - Porter Contemporary Gallery, Chelsea (New York)
2011 Paralax AF - La Galleria, Royal Opera Arcade, Pall Mall (London)
Red (within London’s First Thursdays art event) - Cultivate Gallery, Vyner Street (London)
Art @ 107 - Art & Escape Gallery, Fleet St (London)
2010 SOLO EXHIBITION - Up & Down in Town - Ormond Wine Bar & Basement Gallery (Dublin)
Stocking fillers - The Bad Art Gallery (Dublin)
Cross my art - Art & Escape Gallery, King Cross (London)
REAL Hampstead - Go Figurative, St Stephen's, Hampstead (London)
2009 SOLO EXHIBITION - Up & Down in Town - Smithfield’s Pop-up Space (Dublin)
FAIM Art Fair - Palacio de Congresos (Madrid)
Confronti - Sette Palace (Orvieto, Italy)
2006 SOLO EXHIBITION - BELLAS pARTES - Artepolis Gallery (Madrid)
Printmakers Show - Circulo de Bellas Artes (Madrid)
