e d u c a t I o n
1999-01 MFA Slade School of Fine Art, London
1996-99 BA University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK (First Class Honours)
s o l o e x h I b I t I o n s
2012 Slower Than This: Flashpoint Gallery,
Washington DC, USA
2010 Polly Townsend: British Embassy,
Washington DC, USA
2008 Polly Townsend: The Alpine Club, London, UK
2007 Passing Through: 3 White Walls Gallery,
Birmingham, UK
2000 The Scapes: The Courtyard, Hereford
1999 Flesh: Hereford College of Art and
Design
s e l e c t e d g r o u p e x h I b I t I o n s
2018 The Columbia Threadneedle Prize: Mall
Galleries, London, UK
2017 The ING Discerning Eye: Mall Galleries,
London, UK
2016 Glory of the Glacier: The Alpine Club,
London, UK
2015 Summer Salon: Angus Hughes Gallery,
London, UK
2012 Emerge Art Fair: Washington DC, USA
2011 Wildland, Silber Gallery, Baltimore, USA
2010 Travelogue: Carroll Square Gallery
(Hemphill Gallery), Washington DC, USA
2009 Options: WPA & Conner Contemporary,
Washington DC, USA
2008 Gilchrist-Fisher Landscape Painting
Award: Rebecca Hossack Gallery,
London
2007 Bomberg’s Relevance: Ben Uri Gallery,
London, UK
2007 Journey of Exchange: Oxford House,
Bethnal Green, London, UK
2006 Winter Collection: Gallery Duncan
Terrace, London, UK
2006 New Waves: Collyer Bristow Gallery,
London, UK
2005 Mirage of Minds: Century Gallery,
London, UK
2005 Mile of Art: London Fields, London, UK
2004 The Affordable Art Fair: New York, USA
2001 The Directors Choice: Collins and
Hastie
Gallery, London, UK
2001 London/New York Drawing
Collaboration: Chateau Balleroy,
Normandy, France
2001 New Bloomsbury’s 2001: Scarlet
Maguire Gallery, London, UK
2001 Post-Graduate Show: Slade School of
Fine Art, London, UK
2000 Winter Collection: Parkview Fine Art
Galleries, Bristol, UK
1999 The Directors Cut: Parkview Fine Art
Galleries, Bristol, UK
1999 Degree Show: University of Wales,
Aberystwyth, UK
p r I z e s , a w a r d s a n d s c h o l a r s h I p s
2009 Options, WPA (juried by Anne
Goodyear, National Portrait Gallery, DC
2008 Finalist in Gilchrist-Fisher Landscape
Painting Prize, UK
2001 The Slade School of Fine Art Duveen
Travel Scholarship
2001 The Princes Drawing School /
Malcolm Forbes Foundation Travel
Scholarship
2000 The Slade School of Fine Art Life
Drawing Prize (judged by Paula Rego)
1999 The Worshipful Company of Painter-
Stainers Award
1999 The Sir Ben Bowen Studio Prize for
Fine Art
1998 The Contemporary Art Prize for Wales
Studentship Award (judged by Stephen
Chambers)
r e s I d e n c I e s a n d e x p e d I t I o n s
2011 Artist in Residence Goldwell Museum, Death Valley National Park, USA
2011 Artist in Residence Badlands National
Park, South Dakota, USA
2010 Alaska, USA
2009 Mojave Desert, USA
2008 Himalaya and Pamir Mountains,
Ladakh, Kashmir
2007 Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains,
Kyrgyzstan
2006 High Atlas Mountains, Morocco; and Tian Shan, Altai and Qilian Shan
Mountains, China
2006 Jotunheimen National Park, Norway
2004 Pyrenees Mountains, France
2003 Apennine Mountains, Italy
2002 Himalaya Mountains and Tibetan
Plateau, Nepal, China
2001-08 Snowdonia National Park, Wales
2001 Artist in Residence, Arkleside
Studios, Yorkshire
2000 Andes Mountains and Altiplano,
Bolivia
r e v I e w s a n d p u b l I c a t I o n s (read here)
2012 Washington Post, An exhibit that
stretches a mountain’s range by
Mark Jenkinson
2012 Washington City Paper, Polly
Townsend at Flashpoint by Louis
Jacobson
2011 Mumbai Embassy Publication,
Permanent Collection of the
Consulate General of the US
2011 Catalogue, Wildland, by Laura
Amussen
2011 Catalogue, The Artists of the Alpine
Club, by Peter Mallelieu
2010 Washington Post, Wild Worldviews of
Summer by Jessica Dawson
2009 Washington Post, Options 09:
Unexpected Possibilities by Michael
O’Sullivan
2009 The Georgetowner, Georgetown
Answers Call for Artists
2009 Falls Church News, Options 09 by
Kevin Mellema
2009 Catalogue, Options 09 by Anne
Goodyear
2008 Artrabbit.com, Onwards and
Upwards, Polly Townsend in High
Places by Sarah Lightman
2008 The Alpine Club Journal, Polly
Townsend in High Places by Steve
Goodwin
2007 The Metro Newspaper Birmingham,
Sixty second interview with Polly
Townsend
2007 Wowbirmingham.co.uk, The Extremes
of Art with Polly Townsend by Dave
Freak
2007 Hereford Times, Three White Walls
2007 The Independent, Bomberg's
Relevance, P Chapman
2007 Time Out, Bomberg's Relevance, JJ
Charlesworth
p u b l I c c o l l e c t I o n s
U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Permanent collection, Department of State, USA
U.S. Embassy in Karachi, Permanent collection, Department of State, USA
U.S. Embassy in Mumbai, Permanent collection, Department of State, USA
National Parks Collection, USA
The Alpine Club Collection UK
The Ben Uri Collection UK