Pierre Yves Russo was born in 1967 in the Ile de France region, and grew up near Auvers Sur Oise, in the same countryside whose colours and shapes inspired Corot, Manet, Pissaro and Van Gogh. A visit to an exhibition of Impressionist work at the age of 14, proved to be a revelation and a turning point in his life, and it was at this stage that he decided to devote himself to painting. He was fascinated by the way the fugitive qualities of light had been captured and fixed on canvas, the hay stacks, the fields of wheat and glittering water all perfectly recreated in all their vitality. Indeed he was so impressed that the day after this experience, he took his easel out into the countryside surrounding his home and has been painting ever since. In 1992 he took the decision to become a full-time painter and his first still lives were shown to great acclaim in multiple exhibitions, and earned him numerous prizes. Russo's paintings are widely collected and can be found in public and private collections worldwide.

Felicity Gill is a figurative artist and portrait painter. She has appeared on BBC’s Star Portraits and has painted many prestigious portraits including Boris Johnson and Sir Henry Cecil for The Jockey Club.

'Ray Donley's paintings are part of the New Old Masters, a slowly but steadily emerging trend in contemporary art, involving not so much a "return to order" as it was once called, but the realization that avant-garde art has become an institutional cliché and what once looked liked the clichés of Old Masters are still full of potential. Donley is clearly a master of the medium of oil paint, as his subtle layering and textural richness suggest. His work is highly evocative, emotionally persuasive and all the more so because of Donley’s exquisite chiaroscuro, his imagination needs no prompting. The Old Masters intuitively understood that there is always something strange in beauty.' - Donald Kuspit

Matthew Simmonds graduated from university with a degree in history of art in 1984, specialising in the art and architecture of the medieval period. In 1991 he trained as an architectural stone carver, and in this capacity he participated in the restoration of several important historic monuments in England, most particularly Westminster Abbey and Ely Cathedral. In 1996 he transferred to Italy, where he specialised in the carving of fine classical sculpture in marble. In 1999 he won first prize at the Verona International Sculpture Symposium, gaining his first recognition as a sculptor. Since then he has participated in various international sculpture symposiums, in Italy and beyond, winning several prizes. He has exhibited in Italy, China and the USA.

Medici Gallery
5 Cork Street
London W1S 3LQ United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 74952565
info@medicigallery.co.uk
www.medicigallery.co.uk

Opening hours
Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm
Saturday from 11am to 4pm