Sam Leach

Sam Leach merges imagery from art history, natural science, science fiction, and modernist formalism in photorealistic oil paintings. Leach’s works investigate the relationship between humans and animals. His precise paint handling and themes of mortality have been compared to Dutch 17th-century Old Masters. The artist often depicts his animal subjects—such as hairless cats and exotic birds—against stark backgrounds with abstract forms. In Peacock (2008), sold at auction for $43,454 in 2015, a majestic albino peacock seems to float against a pure black background. Prior to painting, Leach worked at Australia’s tax office. He received a BFA in 2003 and MFA in 2005 from RMIT University. In 2010, Leach won the Wynne Prize for landscape and Archibald Prize for portrait painting from the Art Gallery of New South Wales. His previous solo exhibitions include “​​Birds and Bees” at Adelaide’s Museum of Discovery (2018) and “Crossing Borders” at Palazzo Bembo (2015).