Leo Stevenson – Finding the Centre
For more than three decades, Leo Stevenson has built a remarkable career as a professional artist, following a path that has been anything but conventional. While best known as an oil painter, his creative practice has encompassed sculpture, jewellery, restoration, illustration and art history, reflecting a breadth of expertise developed over a lifetime dedicated to making and understanding art.
After working at the British Museum, Stevenson became a full-time self-employed artist in 1989. His technical versatility enabled him to work across a wide range of disciplines, but painting remained at the core of his artistic identity. He became particularly known for creating original works in the styles of historical masters – what he describes as “legal fakes” – paintings inspired by the visual language of famous artists but based on entirely new compositions. These works required not only technical skill but also a deep understanding of the motivations, methods and creative thinking of the artists whose styles he explored.
This unusual specialism led to illustration commissions, television appearances and contributions to numerous arts documentaries and programmes. Over the years Stevenson has demonstrated and discussed the techniques of artists ranging from Leonardo da Vinci and Holbein to Monet and Hockney, sharing his knowledge with audiences through both broadcast media and public engagement.
Yet behind this diverse and successful career lay a deeper question: where was the artist's own voice amid the many roles he had undertaken?
Finding the Centre marks a significant moment in Stevenson's artistic journey. Bringing together work created over many years, the exhibition focuses on paintings that reflect his own experiences, interests and personal vision. Many of the works on display have never previously been exhibited.
The exhibition reveals recurring themes that have shaped Stevenson's practice throughout his life, particularly his fascination with landscape, both urban and rural. A strong sense of place and connection to the surrounding environment runs through the collection, alongside an enduring interest in atmosphere, memory and emotional response.
For Stevenson, painting is a means of communicating experiences that often cannot be expressed through words. His work seeks to immerse viewers in the places and moments depicted, inviting them to share in the sensations, moods and reflections that inspired each piece.
As both a retrospective reflection and a personal statement, Finding the Centre offers a unique insight into an aspect of Stevenson's work that has remained largely unseen. It is an exhibition about artistic identity, creative discovery and the search for an authentic voice at the heart of a lifelong commitment to art.
