Michael Leonard was born in India in 1933 to British parents. In 1954, after two years of National Service in the army, Michael Leonard went to St Martin’s School of Art in London and studied Commercial Design and Illustration. By the time he left Art School in 1957, Michael was already working as a freelance illustrator and for many years was busy producing artwork for books, magazines, advertising and the press.

The artist felt the need to express a more personal vision, so gradually he moved to painting. Some of his work eventually came to the attention of Fischer Fine Art, a distinguished London gallery of the day and in 1972 several of his paintings were included in one of their group shows. He paints portraits of his friends and also works on commission for high calibre clients.

The nude, particularly the male nude, has been a recurring theme. Michael Leonard’s figures are usually on the move or in a state of transition but even when they are at rest dynamism is provided by the design of the picture.

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Painting by Catrin Walz Stein

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