Thomas Gainsborough

(British, 1727–1788)

Thomas Gainsborough was a leading British Romantic portraitist. His work is distinctive for his lively handling of paint, which allowed the artist to capture his sitters’ likenesses both quickly and accurately. Born on May 14, 1727 in Sudbury, United Kingdom, he developed his skill while working as an assistant to Hubert-François Gravelot, a French Rococo painter. Though his first love was landscape painting, Gainsborough quickly turned to portraits for their popularity and the financial stability they offered. His works, painted in dark colors with economical brush strokes, were of contemporary celebrities as well as local merchants and townspeople. He gained widespread acclaim and emerged as one of the leading portrait artists of the century alongside his longtime rival, Joshua Reynolds. Gainsborough was notably one of the original 36 artists invited to join the Royal Academy. He went on to paint portraits of King George III and his wife, and many royal commissions thereafter. The artist died on August 2, 1788, in London, United Kingdom. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the National Gallery in London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Louvre Museum in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others.

Thomas Gainsborough News

Museums & Institutions

Leaky Roof Causes Serious Concern for Welsh National Museum Amid Pleas for Urgent Repairs

by Verity Babbs

Leaky Roof Causes Serious Concern for Welsh National Museum Amid Pleas for Urgent Repairs

Need an Absorbing Read for the Holidays? Check Out These 13 Books Recommended by the Artnet News Staff

Need an Absorbing Read for the Holidays? Check Out These 13 Books Recommended by the Artnet News Staff

Dozens of Previously Unknown Thomas Gainsborough Drawings Are Discovered in a Library Book

Dozens of Previously Unknown Thomas Gainsborough Drawings Are Discovered in a Library Book

Thomas Gainsborough Artworks

Thomas Gainsborough (997 results)

Prachtvolle Sommerlandschaft

Attributed to Thomas Gainsborough

Prachtvolle Sommerlandschaft

Sale Date: December 3, 1999

Auction Closed

Horses and riders resting by a pool, 1770–1775

Thomas Gainsborough

Horses and riders resting by a pool, 1770–1775

Sale Date: November 25, 1999

Auction Closed

Wooded landscape with herdsman cows, river and...

Thomas Gainsborough

Wooded landscape with herdsman cows, river and...

Sale Date: November 17, 1999

Auction Closed

A wooded landscape with sheep grazing by a...

Thomas Gainsborough

A wooded landscape with sheep grazing by a...

Sale Date: November 12, 1999

Auction Closed

Landscape with cattle

Thomas Gainsborough

Landscape with cattle

Sale Date: November 9, 1999

Auction Closed

Portrait of a family in a landscape

School of Thomas Gainsborough

Portrait of a family in a landscape

Sale Date: November 3, 1999

Auction Closed

A wooded landscape with a traveller seated at a...

Attributed to Thomas Gainsborough

A wooded landscape with a traveller seated at a...

Sale Date: November 3, 1999

Auction Closed

Lady Sparrow

After Thomas Gainsborough

Sale Date: October 27, 1999

Auction Closed

Portrait of a lady

After Thomas Gainsborough

Portrait of a lady

Sale Date: September 25, 1999

Auction Closed

A figure by a tree before a church in a wooded...

Follower of Thomas Gainsborough

A figure by a tree before a church in a wooded...

Sale Date: September 9, 1999

Auction Closed

Pastoral landscape with cattle drinking by a pool

Thomas Gainsborough

Pastoral landscape with cattle drinking by a pool

Sale Date: July 15, 1999

Auction Closed

Wooded landscape with a shepherd and..., 1780–1789

Thomas Gainsborough

Wooded landscape with a shepherd and..., 1780–1789

Sale Date: July 15, 1999

Auction Closed

Portrait of a boy wearing a brown coat

Thomas Gainsborough

Portrait of a boy wearing a brown coat

Sale Date: July 14, 1999

Auction Closed

Landscape with rustics on a path

Thomas Gainsborough

Landscape with rustics on a path

Sale Date: July 14, 1999

Auction Closed

A twilight landscape with a shepherd by a river

School of Thomas Gainsborough

A twilight landscape with a shepherd by a river

Sale Date: June 16, 1999

Auction Closed

An extensive landscape with a lumber cart on a...

School of Thomas Gainsborough

An extensive landscape with a lumber cart on a...

Sale Date: June 16, 1999

Auction Closed

A twilight landscape with sheep by a river in a...

School of Thomas Gainsborough

A twilight landscape with sheep by a river in a...

Sale Date: June 16, 1999

Auction Closed

The Byam Family: Group portrait of Mr. and Mrs....

Thomas Gainsborough

The Byam Family: Group portrait of Mr. and Mrs....

Sale Date: June 10, 1999

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The gipsies

Thomas Gainsborough

Sale Date: June 9, 1999

Auction Closed

Wooded landscape with herdsman and cow, 1780–1784

Thomas Gainsborough

Wooded landscape with herdsman and cow, 1780–1784

Sale Date: June 8, 1999

Auction Closed

Lansdscape with a church, 1753–1754

Thomas Gainsborough

Lansdscape with a church, 1753–1754

Sale Date: May 13, 1999

Auction Closed

A mounted horseman (George, Prince of Wales?)

Thomas Gainsborough

A mounted horseman (George, Prince of Wales?)

Sale Date: April 19, 1999

Auction Closed

Portrait of Dorothea Scrivener, 1757–1759

Thomas Gainsborough

Portrait of Dorothea Scrivener, 1757–1759

Sale Date: March 31, 1999

Auction Closed

Landscape with a figure and cattle..., 1770–1775

Thomas Gainsborough

Landscape with a figure and cattle..., 1770–1775

Sale Date: March 31, 1999

Auction Closed

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