Ryan Hewett

'One of South Africa's most distinguished painters' - Edward Lucie-Smith, critic and curator

Hewett’s structured forms and psychedelic colours allude to Cubist portraits and Surrealist landscapes, while his body-length portraits recall Renaissance medical diagrams of the human anatomy.

According to esteemed writer and art critic Edward Lucie-Smith, Hewett’s pictures “appear on the painted surface in the form of extraordinary apparitions, present yet not present. The vigorous marks of the brush reveal them, yet at the same time conceal them”, going on to label him as, “one of South Africa’s most distinguished painters today – we become part of the work, engaged by the act of looking.”

Hewett has honed his singular style throughout the course of his artistic career, transitioning from controlled pencil drawings, to gestural portraiture and, most recently, to sweeping landscapes. His movement into landscape demonstrates Hewett’s command of the materiality of his artworks, which are deeply textured as rich impasto areas of paint complement smooth geometric expanses. Hewett relies on the fluid process of memory and imagination to create his works. He paints with no preconceptions, allowing his artworks to unfold intuitively onto the canvas. Both Hewett’s portraiture and landscapes build upon the potential of abstraction, rendering more than simple likenesses and reproductions, but the essence of a mood or sensation.

Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space
Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space
Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space
Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space
Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space
Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space
Photographed by Charles White (JWPictures Inc.). Courtesy of UTA Artist Space

Works

Ryan Hewett

Bot Baby 1

2021

Oil on belgian linen

205 cm x 200 cm

Ryan Hewett

Bot Baby 3

2021

Oil on canvas

205 cm x 205 cm

Ryan Hewett

Wide Open

2021

Oil on belgian inen

150 cm x 313 cm

Ryan Hewett

La Femme VI

2019

Oil on canvas.

175 x 200 cm
Framed: 177 x 205 x 5 cm

Ryan Hewett

Birds of Paradise

2019

Oil on Linen.

172 x 220 cm (Triptych)
Framed Total: 492 x 207 x 5 cm

Ryan Hewett

La Femme V

2019

Oil on canvas.

175 x 200 cm
Framed: 177 x 205 x 5 cm

Ryan Hewett

Male Linen Portrait

2017-18

Oil on Belgium linen.

130 x 119 x 8 cm

Ryan Hewett

Origin I

2017-18

Oil on Belgium linen.

210 x 152.5 x 8 cm

Ryan Hewett

Female Linen Portrait

2017-18

Oil on Belgium linen.

130 x 119 x 8 cm

Ryan Hewett

Figure #1

2019

Mixed media on paper.

100 x 125 cm
Framed: 104 x 129 x 4 cm

Ryan Hewett

Madonna

2017-18

Oil on canvas.

210 x 151.5 x 8 cm

Ryan Hewett

Presence

2016

Oil, spray and charcoal on canvas.

130 x 120 cm

Ryan Hewett

Samuel

2016

Oil on canvas.

130 x 120 cm

Ryan Hewett

Rise

2017-18

Oil on canvas.

204 x 179.5 x 7.8 cm

Ryan Hewett

African Child

2017-18

Oil on canvas.

155 x 154 x 8 cm

Ryan Hewett

Memories

2019

Oil on canvas.

339 x 200 cm

Exhibitions

WEB3 17 November - 23 December 2022

Nassima Landau

Group Exhibition

To mark their two-year anniversary, Nassima Landau Art Foundation is staging a Unit London take-over of their Tel Aviv art space. The exhibition features twenty two artists from our international roster including Seth Armstrong, Kristof Santy, Ziping Wang, Tyler Hobbs and more.

Explore now

7 December - 18 December 2021

Ryan Hewett

H+ at UTA Artist Space

Unit London is excited to announce a new solo exhibition from South African artist, Ryan Hewett, taking place in Los Angeles with UTA Artist Space. Appearing as a natural progression from previous exhibitions, Hewett’s latest solo show is entitled H+. Standing for human advancement, H+ explores the ideas and...

Explore now

Editions

Unit London Editions

Ryan Hewett

African Child

2019

Multi-layered Flatbed Giclee with silkscreen varnishes and textures on Somerset Satin 410 gsm.
Hand-signed and numbered by the artist.
Edition of 150 plus 15 artist’s proofs.
80 cm x 80 cm.

Ryan Hewett

Lunar

2021

Multi-layered Flatbed Giclée with silkscreen varnishes and textures on Somerset Satin 410gsm, with deckled edges to finish.
Hand-signed and numbered by the artist.
Edition of 150 and 15 Artist Proofs.
70 cm x 91 cm.

Watch

Ryan Hewett | The Game Awards | 2020

Studio

Biography

Born in 1979 and described by critic and curator Edward Lucie-Smith as ‘one of South Africa’s most distinguished painters today’, Ryan Hewett is renowned for his brooding and evocative paintings. Yet his portraits are not about capturing an external likeness of a subject, but rather creating a portal to the inner journey of self-exploration. In so doing, the artist relies principally on the intuitive processes of memory and imagination.

Using a variety of oil painting techniques, from brushes to knives, Hewett’s extensive knowledge draws on renowned movements within art history. His structured forms and psychedelic colours allude to Cubist portraits and Surrealist landscapes, while his body-length portraits recall Renaissance medical diagrams of the human anatomy.

Hewett has exhibited extensively in art fairs, group and solo exhibitions in major cities around the world. His most recent institutional exhibition took place at The Goss Michael Foundation in Dallas in 2019. His work can be found in various international private and public collections, including the Goss Michael Foundation, Fine Art Centre, Taiwan, The Recharge Foundation, Emergentes Art Foundation and the Dean Collection, to name a few.