Portrait of the Artist's Wife

This portrait depicts Kuhfeld’s wife Cathryn as she sits in a chair, wearing a simple black dress. The loose brushstrokes create a sense of spontaneity to the work, as if it has captured a brief moment in the life of the Kuhfelds, and produces a visual haze that lends the painting a memory-like air. The palette is very muted and consists of greys, browns and blacks, drawing attention to the pink of Cathryn’s face and her red lips. 

Peter Kuhfeld 

Kuhfeld was born in Cheltenham in 1952 as the son of a German prisoner of war and an English pianist. He studied at the Leicester School of Art 1972-6, and then worked at the Rugby School of Art between 1976-8 as a teacher in painting and drawing.

Through his hardwork, Kuhfeld earned a place at the Royal Academy School of Art and studied there 1977-80 under Peter Greenham. During his studies, he earned several scholarships and prizes including the David Murray Landscape Prize, the Eric Kennington Prize for Drawing, the Royal Academy of Art Silver Medal for Drawing, the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation Scholarship, the Royal College of Surgeons Dooley Prize for Anatomical Drawing, and the Richard Ford Scholarship. He was also made a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Painters, and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy summer exhibitions.

In 1985, Kuhfeld held his first exhibition at the New Grafton Gallery alongside painter Christa Ga, establishing him as a prominent upcoming artist. The following year, he was elected to the New English Art Club. He exhibited in one-man shows regularly in the 1980s and 90s, including at Agnew and W H Patterson. Kuhfeld was elected to the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1992.

Kuhfeld enjoyed royal patronage from The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), having painted portraits of Princes William and Harry in 1986. Kuhfeld also travelled with the Prince of Wales to Africa and Japan to produce artworks based on these travels. This royal patronage continued with Kuhfeld being asked to paint the wedding of Prince William and Catherine in 2011, the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in 2012, the Baptism of Prince George in 2013, and recently to paint the state portrait of King Charles III in 2025.

Kuhfeld also created other important commissions, such as a portrait of Harry Patch, the last surviving soldier of World War I. Additionally, Kuhfeld was one of seven artists commissioned to paint seven different Holocaust survivors - his sitter was Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a survivor of Auschwitz.

Kuhfeld is still alive and lives in Wye, Kent, with his wife Cathryn Kuhfeld, an acclaimed painter in her own right. Cathryn and their two daughters are prevalent subjects amongst Kuhfeld’s paintings.