Last updated: 28 October 2026
Holly Rowett is the London artist and Slade graduate behind quiet, dreamlike oil paintings about loneliness and the small moments of city life. Here you will find our take on her work, where Holly Rowett has shown, and how to bid on her small oil painting in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Holly Rowett
Rowett paints ordinary moments that feel slightly unreal. She starts from scenes in her own life, then mixes in things she has made up. Her themes are loneliness in the city, the feeling of drifting away from yourself, and the beauty hidden in everyday life. Her statement for the sale puts her paintings “somewhere between observation and imagination”, in moments “that feel as though time has briefly stalled” (War Child lot page).
Her War Child piece, Evening in June, is oil on wood. It shows the back of a raised hand against a flat, powder-blue ground. Light comes from behind, so the edges of the fingers glow a hot red and the nails look almost lit from within. Meanwhile, the back of the hand stays in a soft, plum-coloured shadow. It is a very simple image, and the title turns it into a memory of a summer evening.
This is an early-career lot. Rowett was born in 1999 and finished her painting degree at the Slade in 2022. Her degree show included large canvases such as Honeymoon (2022), 134 x 128 cm (52.8 x 50.4 in), on the Slade’s website. She has no gallery yet, so a charity sale like this is one of the few places to buy her work.
Holly Rowett: the essentials
- Born in 1999; lives and works in London, according to her artist’s statement for the War Child sale.
- Studied for a BA in Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art, London, from 2018 to 2022.
- Her Slade degree show page lists oil paintings on canvas and linen, from 10 x 10 cm (3.9 x 3.9 in) studies to canvases over a metre tall.
- Her paintings explore loneliness in city life, dissociation and the quiet beauty of everyday scenes.
- Took part in the Soho Revue residency in 2026, with open studios in London.
Where to see Holly Rowett now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The piece is Evening in June (2026), oil on wood, 15 x 21 cm (5.9 x 8.3 in), lot page.
- Soho Revue Residency, Open Studios, Soho Revue, London, 2026.
- BA degree show, Slade School of Fine Art, London, 2022.
How to buy a Holly Rowett painting
Holly Rowett has no prints or gallery listings at the moment. The one way to buy her work right now is the charity auction:
- Evening in June, 2026: a small oil on wood in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
Holly Rowett FAQs
Who is Holly Rowett?
A London painter, born in 1999, who graduated in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2022.
What does Holly Rowett paint?
Dreamlike oil paintings drawn from her own life, about loneliness in the city and the quiet beauty of everyday moments.
Can I buy a Holly Rowett painting?
Yes. Her small oil on wood, Evening in June, is in the War Child auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026.
Where can I see Holly Rowett’s work in London?
Evening in June is on view at Iconic Images Gallery, 16 Waterloo Place, from 6 to 8 November 2026.
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Main image: Holly Rowett, Evening in June, 2026. © Holly Rowett, courtesy War Child. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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