Nicolas Party, once pursued by the police for adorning European trains and buildings with his distinct street art, is now greeted with invitations from prestigious galleries and museums to showcase his artistic visions on their walls.
His latest creation, a large-scale mural crafted in soft pastels and inspired by a 17th-century Dutch artist and an 18th-century British master, is showcased at the Holburne Museum in Bath. Expressing his delight, Party mentioned that the Holburne, a guardian of paintings by artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and George Stubbs, provides an ideal setting for his work.
Entitled ‘A Brawl Between Peasants, After Benjamin Gerritsz’, Party rendered a violent thematic from a small oil painting in the Holburne’s collection across an entire gallery wall. He used pastels again for a second, more serene work on linen, depicting two horses and a ghostly human face, named ‘Portrait With Two Horses’.
Party’s artistic journey with the Holburne involved constructing a chamber in front of the wall for him to work. The wall had to be prepared with a mixture of acrylic paint, water, and sawdust to create a textured, sandpapery surface suitable for holding pastel.
His connection to the Dutch painting was driven by its unique and “grim, funny” subject, which diverged from more common pastoral themes. Party sees the integration of his mural and the ‘Portrait With Two Horses’ as definitively his own artistic creation.
Chris Stephens, the director of the Holburne, expressed enthusiasm for displaying Party’s work. Given Party’s extensive knowledge of art history, particularly his interest in 17th-century Dutch painting and 18th-century pastels – both of which are well-represented in the Holburne’s collection – the gallery believes Party’s art finds its ideal setting within their walls.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/11/the-art-of-making-a-little-mess-brings-nicolas-partys-showstopper-to-bath
