Maggi Hambling
Maggi Hambling is one of Britain’s most important contemporary artists, known for her expressive sea paintings, portraits and public sculpture. IAP Fine Art has worked closely with Maggi Hambling since 1997, publishing her prints to raise money for THT. We also hold a selection of paintings, prints and works on paper.
Born in Sudbury, Suffolk, in 1945. Maggi first studied at Benton End, Suffolk, under painters Lett Haines and Cedric Morris, who had taught Lucian Freud. She went on to study at Ipswich School of Art, Camberwell School of Art and Crafts; and Slade School of Fine Art, London. She was First Artist in Residence at the National Gallery, London, and she has works in major museum collections worldwide, including The Met, New York, CAFA, Beijing, Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon; and London’s TATE, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum. In 2010, she was awarded a CBE in recognition of her contribution to British art.
Maggi Hambling Sea Paintings and Waves
Since the early 2000s, her primary muse has been the North Sea. Maggi Hambling sea paintings and waves have both the unbridled energy of the sea, but also a sensuality and a captivating, endless unfolding of rhythms and moods. The dynamic brushwork and intense emotion of Maggi Hambling waves capture the raw power and ever-changing nature of the sea.
Public Commissions and Major Exhibitions
Public sculpture includes ‘A Conversation with Oscar Wilde’ (1998), London, facing Charing Cross Station and Scallop (2003), a sculpture to celebrate Benjamin Britten, at Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk, for which the artist was awarded the Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture. A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft was unveiled in Newington Green, London, in 2020.
Portrait commissions include Max Wall, George Melly, Andy Murray and Dorothy Hodgkin at the National Portrait Gallery. Since 2017, her work has increasingly gained international recognition, with exhibitions in Beijing, Turin, Madrid, and New York. In 2022, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired one of her ‘Wall of Water’ paintings, further cementing her international status.
Publications and Documentary Features
In 2006, the monograph ‘MAGGI HAMBLING THE WORKS’ and conversations with Andrew Lambirth” was published by Unicorn Press. In 2025, to celebrate her 80th year, the monograph ‘MAGGI HAMBLING’ was published by Rizzoli in New York, with foreword by Cecily Brown, and contributions from Sean Burns, James Cahill, Hugo Chapman, Wenny Teo and Sheena Wagstaff. The BBC-commissioned documentary ‘MAGGI HAMBLING: Making Love with the Paint‘ (2020), offers insights into her inspirations, and her approach to painting, while the recent SKY Arts documentary, ‘My Week with Maggi Hambling‘ hosted by art historian Kate Bryan, was aired in 2025.
Maggi Hambling and IAP Fine Art
In 1998, we published her iconic ‘Portrait of Derek Jarman‘ in support of the Terrence Higgins Trust. In 2006, we published her silk-screen prints ‘George Melly Singing‘ and ‘Stephen Fry Musing‘ in support of THT, which were launched in person by Maggi, George Melly and Stephen Fry. We also hold a diverse range of works, from her wave paintings, to watercolours, selected portraits and prints. Maggi’s work can be bought from us using the Arts Council’s OWN ART Scheme.
