Artist Biography
Molly Brocklehurst is a British figurative painter based in Austin, Texas, whose dreamlike works explore memory, nostalgia and storytelling. She holds an MFA from Wimbledon College of Art (2019) and a BA (Hons) from Leeds Arts University (2016). Her paintings draw inspiration from vintage photographs and archival imagery, which she reimagines through carefully considered colour, simplified forms and expressive compositions. Blurring the boundaries between documentary and fiction, Brocklehurst creates atmospheric scenes that feel both familiar and elusive, like fragments of a half-remembered dream. Her work has been exhibited across the UK, Scandinavia and the USA, and is held in international private collections.
“My paintings are inspired by photographs gathered from flea markets, antique shops, and online archives. Drawn to their imperfections and anonymity, I explore themes of memory, nostalgia, and storytelling. Extracting figures as a starting point, I reconstruct and reimagine the images through a nostalgic lens, blurring the line between documentary and fiction. The figures and scenes are grounded yet also detached from reality, like fragments of a memory. Through a limited palette, I create paintings that feel both familiar and distant. Ambiguous stories emerge through paint, where imagination and blurred realities coalesce in a dreamlike dance.”
EDUCATION
MFA in Fine Art, Wimbledon College of Arts, University of Arts London (2017 – 2019)
BA Hons, Leeds College of Art (2013 – 2016)
Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, Leeds College of Art (2012 – 2013)
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
The Ned Nomad, New York, Soho House
The Wing, London
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025 Two of a Kind, 19 Karen Gallery, Queensland, Australia, May
2025 Studio Sales 2025 Auction, The Auction Collective, February
2025 Commerce Gallery, Lockhart, Texas, February
2024 Some Kind of Feeling, ICOSA Collective, Austin, Texas, November
2024 Dog Days of Summer, Muse Gallery, Austin, Texas, August
2024 11th Annual Texas Juried Exhibition, Artspace 111, Fort Worth, Texas, July
2024 Nordic Art Agency, Malmo, April
2024 Reunion, Commerce Gallery, Texas, January
2023 Prints and Works on Paper, Rhodes Contemporary Art Gallery, London, December
2023 Austin Studio Tour, Texas, November
2023 Big Medium, George Washington Carver Museum, Austin, Texas, November
2023 Round Top Fair, Texas, October
2023 September, Commerce Gallery, Lockhart, Texas, September
2023 Generation Loss, Cloud Tree Gallery, Austin, Texas, June
2023 Art on a Postcard Auction, Hoxton Gallery, London, June
2022 Meat, Lockh.art House, Texas, November
2022 Small Works, Georgetown Art Centre, Texas, November
2022 HANSA, Malmö, Sweden, April
2022 Fashion Fights Cancer Auction, The Camp Gallery, Miami, February
2021 HANSA, Malmö, Sweden
2021 Affordable Art Fair, Stockholm
2020 Faces, Nordic Art Agency Gallery, Malmö, Sweden
2020 Art on a Postcard Summer Auction, London
2020 HANSA, Malmö, Sweden
2020 Art Nordic, Copenhagen
2020 HerStory, Maddox Gallery, Mayfair, London
2020 Signature Art Prize Gala, London
2019 Orbit Art Show, The Barge House, OXO Tower Wharf, London
2019 Wimbledon MFA Fine Art Summer Show, London
2019 Refresh Art Award Exhibition, London
2019 Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London
2019 Postopia, Ugly Duck, London
2019 Utopia Through Nostalgia, Koppel Project Hive, London
2018 Who Will Provide?, The Crypt, St Pancras Church, London
2018 MIAL, ™ Lighting Gallery, London
2018 Beyond the Pale, The Loft, Croydon
2018 Chance, Chelsea College of Art, London
2018 Netflix and Chill, The Flying Dutchman, London
2018 Conflict, Chelsea College of Art, London
2017 Parallax Art Fair, London
2016 Free Range, The Old Truman Brewery, London
2016 Art in the Barn, Midnight Gallery, London
2016 Departures, Leeds College of Art, Leeds
SELECTED CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2019 Utopia Through Nostalgia, Koppel Project Hive, London.
AWARDS, COMPETITIONS AND RESIDENCIES
Signature Art Prize Finalist, 2020
Saatchi Art Rising Star, 2019
Wimbledon Alumni Professional Award, 2019
Shortlisted for Refresh Art Award, 2019
Selected for Dentons Art Prize, 2018
UAL Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship, 2017
Selected for Aon Art Prize, 2016
Shortlisted for Woon Foundation Prize, 2016
East Street Arts, Leeds , 2016
WHY WE LOVE IT?
Vintage vibes with “photography-negative and dark room” aesthetic. Engaging, delightful and dynamic imagery that is both decorative and masterful. Celebration of life in the South.
