Valerie Wiffen


Valerie Wiffen ARCA is a London-based British artist who is best known for her portraiture.

Biography

Wiffen was born in Danbury, Essex in 1943 and received her art education and training at South West Essex Technical College and School of Art, and then the Royal College of Art Painting School, London, where she studied under Sandra Blow, Jean Bratby, Mary Fedden, Ruskin Spear, Carel Weight, Peter Blake and Ken Howard. Wiffen won the Royal College of Art Drawing Prize in 1966 on her graduation. She is an ARCA.
Wiffen's notable portrait commissions include The Duke of Edinburgh which is in the collection of the Board of Deputies and Dr Carey, when he was Archbishop of Canterbury, with Mrs Carey. She has work in various public collections such as her portraits of Sir Sigmund Sternberg which is in the National Portrait Gallery; Sir Gavyn Arthur as Lord Mayor of London which is in the Guildhall Art Gallery; Margaret Beckett MP, a presentation from the Jain community; the High Commissioner for India Dr LM Singhvi, in the collection of the Bhavan Centre for Indian Music; and her portrait of Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs is in the Jewish Museum, London.

Solo exhibitions

1972 - Liverpool Bluecoat Gallery

1963 - 1966 inclusions in the annual exhibition of the New English Art Club

1996 - Inclusion in the annual exhibition of the New English Art Club

1963 - 1997 numerous inclusions in the summer exhibition of Royal Academy of Arts, London

1994 - 2000 present, annual inclusions in the tutor’s show at West Dean Summer School

1998 - London School of Economics

2000 - National Portrait Gallery

2017 - group show, The German Embassy, London

Publications

Wiffen has written various books on drawing including Collins Learn to Draw – Still Life and Figure Sketching School: The Essential Step-by-step Guide to Sketching Accurate Life-like Figures.