An exhibition of new and existing works by renowned painter Stephen Farthing RA opens at Kenwood House on 29 June.

Throughout the first floor of the house, Strike a Pose: Stephen Farthing and the Swagger Portrait will showcase Farthing's reworkings of historic portraiture, including his recent series inspired by paintings from Kenwood's Suffolk Collection.

Known for creating his own twists on the once-fashionable 'Grand Manner' or 'swagger portraits', Farthing's long fascination with the conventions of the form continues to be a mainstay in his work.

His latest paintings are after John Singer Sargent's (1856-1925) portrait of Margaret Howard, the Countess of Suffolk, who bequeathed the ancestral Suffolk Collection to the nation 50 years ago this year, and a unique set of portraits by the Jacobean artist William Larkin (c.1580 - 1619).

This exhibition, which also includes pieces from the 1970s and 1990s, will be the first time Farthing's swagger portraits have been shown alongside some of the paintings that inspired them.

Stephen Farthing RA said, 'Museums, galleries and collections offer us an opportunity to enter into conversations with artworks that happen to catch our eye.

'From time to time, I have recorded some of these conversations as painted images back in my studio. This exhibition shows some of my paintings in the company of some of the swagger portraits which, over the years, have not simply caught my eye, but engaged me in conversation.'

English Heritage Curator, Louise Cooling, said, 'This exhibition is unlike anything I've worked on at Kenwood.

'With loans from Liverpool to Eastbourne, plus new, never-before-seen works coming straight from the artist's studio, I think this is a really exciting way to celebrate Kenwood's world-renowned art collection.'

For three separate week-long periods scheduled through the duration of the exhibition, Farthing will use the Dairy at Kenwood as a temporary, public studio, where he will complete a new painting.

This will be a reworking of an artwork from the collection at Kenwood, chosen by the English Heritage volunteers based there.

Strike a Pose: Stephen Farthing and the Swagger Portrait has been developed in collaboration with independent curator Paul Bonaventura and is part of the Creative Programme at English Heritage.

The Creative Programme commissions artists to produce creative works that draw inspiration from our iconic sites and collections and encourage engagement with heritage and history in new and thought-provoking ways.

From major artist commissions, experimental projects, creative opportunities to artist residencies and fellowships, and collaborations with local communities, English Heritage's Creative Programme uses contemporary art to bring England's stories to life.

Recent projects include:

• Morag Myerscough's colourful and contemporary take on a Roman gatehouse at Hadrian’s Wall to mark the 1,900th anniversary of the wall
• Turner Prize nominated artist Ingrid Pollard's interventions at Belsay Hall and Gardens
• and Dion Kitson's exhibition at J.W. Evans Silver Factory, the most complete surviving historic factory in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.

Strike a Pose: Stephen Farthing and the Swagger Portrait runs at Kenwood until 3 November 2024