Andrew King

I was born in Budapest in 1982.

As a child, I spent a lot of time drawing portraits and looking through books about painting. I started painting with oils at the age of 23 and developed my technique in a self-taught way.

My first recognition came at the age of 10, when I won a prize at an international art competition in New Delhi, India.

Since then, I have had exhibitions in Budapest and participated in a travelling exhibition in The Netherlands. My paintings are part of German, English, Dutch and Hungarian collections.

I am mainly interested in people, human behaviour, tension, silence and the emotions hidden behind the face.

My portraits are not meant to idealize people. I try to paint something psychologically honest — the presence, weight and inner reality behind a person.

I often use stronger contrasts and colors than reality itself, because I want the paintings to feel more intense than everyday life.

For me, painting is not decoration. It is a way of observing people and translating something difficult to put into words.

self-taught.