About

Neil Haddon is a British/Australian artist who lives and works in nipaluna/Hobart, on the island of lutruwita/Tasmania. His paintings display a wide variety of influences and styles, from hard-edge geometric abstraction to looser, expressive figurative painting.

Haddon’s career spans three decades, during which his paintings have been included in more than 100 exhibitions across Australia, Europe, and the USA, including 'Theatre of the World' at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, La Maison Rouge in Paris, 'Strange Trees' at The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and 'Contemporary Encounters' at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Before relocating to Tasmania, Haddon lived in Barcelona, Spain, where he exhibited widely, including with the revered Galeria Carles Poy. Since moving to Tasmania, Haddon has undertaken research trips back to Spain and has been awarded prestigious residencies in New York and London.

His works are held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Devonport Regional Gallery, The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, The City of Whyalla Collection, and Art Bank in Sydney. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Hadley’s Art Prize, the Glover Prize, the Whyalla Art Prize, and the Tidal Art Prize, Haddon's paintings have also been featured in prominent national art prizes, such as the Sulman and Wynne Prizes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Arthur Guy Memorial Prize at Bendigo Art Gallery. Haddon holds a PhD from the University of Tasmania, where he serves as Associate Head of Art at the School of Creative Arts and Media and is Coordinator of the Painting Studio.

Haddon was born in Epsom, England. He earned a B-TEC Diploma in Art and Design from the Epsom School of Art, Surrey, England (1985-87) (now the University for the Creative Arts). He received an Honours degree from West Surrey College of Art and Design (1987-1990) (also now the University for the Creative Arts).

Haddon relocated to Barcelona, Spain in 1990 and lived and worked there until 1996. He held his first solo exhibition at Galería Carles Poy in 1992. In 1996 he moved to Tasmanian, Australia. He has lived and worked there since then.

In 2020 Haddon was awarded a Doctorate from the Tasmanian School of Art, University of Tasmania (now the School of Creative Arts and Media, UTAS). He is Associate Head of Art and Coordinator of the Painting Studio at CAM.

Haddon was a founding member Letitia Street Studios and Inflight Artist Run Initiative (now Constance ARI), was the Chair of Contemporary Art Tasmania from 2010 to 2016 and a board member of Salamanca Arts from 2018 to 2022.

He regularly travels back to the UK and Spain for research projects and in 2014 undertook a three-month residency in New York at the Australia Council for the Arts Greene Street Studio.

Exhibitions

Haddon’s paintings have been exhibited in Australia, the US and Europe. Recent exhibitions include: Strange Trees at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Theatre of the World, MONA (La Maison Rouge, Paris) curated by Jean-Hubert Martin, Platform, Los Angeles and Back Burn, Opera, the black mirror, Bett Gallery, Hobart, This Is No Fantasy / Dianne Tanzer Gallery, Melbourne and MOP Gallery, Sydney.

Collections

Haddon’s work is held in private and public collections internationally and in Australia by the National Gallery of Victoria, Artbank, Sydney, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Tasmania Fine Art Collection, Devonport Regional Gallery and the Gold Coast Arts Centre.

Awards

Haddon’s painting ‘The Visit’ won the $100,000 'Hadley’s Prize’ in 2017, ‘Portrait with Paperchains’ won the City of Whyalla Art Prize 2009 and ‘Purblind (Opiate)’ won the Glover Prize, 2008. His work ‘Survivor (del tink gyp flynn)’ was the winning entry in Tidal, the City of Devonport Art Award 2006.

Representation

Neil Haddon is represented by This is No Fantasy, Melbourne and Bett Gallery, Hobart