{"title":"Barbara Leidl: Personal Matters","description":"\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0907\/7335\/6877\/files\/ChatGPT_Image_Sep_17_2026_04_47_02_PM.png?v=1789660085\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThroughout October 2026 Aleph Contemporary is pleased to present \u003cem\u003ePersonal Matters\u003c\/em\u003e, an exhibition of paintings by Stroud-based artist \u003cstrong\u003eBarbara Leidl\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eLeidl works primarily in portraiture, using a restrained palette of earth pigments and traditional techniques in oil and egg tempera. Her paintings bring together a deep interest in early European painting with the immediacy and psychological presence of contemporary portraiture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e“I often place my models in what I can only describe as ‘fictions’. These stories are open to interpretation.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eFor Leidl, the history of painting is an active source rather than something to be reproduced. Artists have always learned by looking at and copying the work of others, but her paintings are not intended as straightforward quotations or replicas. Instead, she draws together elements from different sources — particularly Medieval and Renaissance painting — combining poses, motifs, costumes and visual references with contemporary sitters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThese disparate elements create paintings that operate almost as assemblages: images built from fragments of art history, observation, memory and invention. Familiar references are displaced and reimagined, allowing each portrait to suggest its own ambiguous narrative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003eAbout the Artist\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eBarbara Leidl was born in Canada and studied painting at the \u003cstrong\u003eAlberta College of Art\u003c\/strong\u003e, graduating with Distinction, before completing an \u003cstrong\u003eMFA at Concordia University, Montreal\u003c\/strong\u003e. She moved to the UK in 1996 and has lived in Stroud, Gloucestershire, for the past nine years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe landscape and creative community of Stroud have become important influences on her practice, while her longstanding fascination with historic painting continues to shape both the technique and atmosphere of her work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eHer portraits have been exhibited widely, including at the \u003cstrong\u003eNational Portrait Gallery\u003c\/strong\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eMall Galleries\u003c\/strong\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eRoyal Society of Portrait Painters\u003c\/strong\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eNew English Art Club\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eGreen \u0026amp; Stone, Chelsea\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"auto\"\u003eSelected Exhibitions \u0026amp; Awards\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\" class=\"yWcLfW_streamingTextBlock\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2025\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eGothic\u003c\/em\u003e, solo exhibition, The Cacao Shop, Stroud\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2024–25\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eHere Be Monsters\u003c\/em\u003e, solo exhibition, Fireside Bookshop, Stroud\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2024\u003c\/strong\u003e — Summer Exhibition, The Gallery at Green \u0026amp; Stone, Chelsea, London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2024\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eSibling Rivalry\u003c\/em\u003e, two-person exhibition, Lansdown Gallery, Stroud\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2024\u003c\/strong\u003e — New English Art Club Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2023\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eA Table Among Angels\u003c\/em\u003e, solo exhibition, Coco Caravan Cacao House, Stroud\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2022\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eThe Mind’s I\u003c\/em\u003e, group exhibition, Gardens Gallery, Cheltenham\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2022\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eA Show for the Ghosts\u003c\/em\u003e, solo exhibition, Gardens Gallery, Cheltenham\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2021\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eA Show for the Ghosts\u003c\/em\u003e, solo exhibition, Lansdown Gallery, Stroud\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2018\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003ePersonal Affects\u003c\/em\u003e, solo exhibition, Lansdown Gallery, Stroud\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2017\u003c\/strong\u003e — Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize Exhibition, \u003cem\u003eKatherine (and Monkey)\u003c\/em\u003e, Mall Galleries, London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2015\u003c\/strong\u003e — \u003cem\u003eKatherine (and Millie)\u003c\/em\u003e featured on the cover of \u003cem\u003eMillie \u0026amp; Bird: Tales of Paradise\u003c\/em\u003e by Avril Joy, IRON Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2012\u003c\/strong\u003e — BP Portrait Award, \u003cem\u003eKatherine (and Millie)\u003c\/em\u003e, National Portrait Gallery, London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2012\u003c\/strong\u003e — Lynn Painter-Stainers Award Exhibition, \u003cem\u003eI Dream of Monsters\u003c\/em\u003e, Mall Galleries, London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1998\u003c\/strong\u003e — Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1998\u003c\/strong\u003e — Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Summer Residency\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1994\u003c\/strong\u003e — MFA, Concordia University, Montreal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1988\u003c\/strong\u003e — Diploma in Painting, with Distinction, Alberta College of Art, Calgary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1988\u003c\/strong\u003e — Governor General of Canada Bronze Medal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1988\u003c\/strong\u003e — Laura Mae Stillings Award\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0907\/7335\/6877\/collections\/1.jpg?v=1789660048","url":"https:\/\/alephcontemporary.com\/collections\/barbara-leidl-personal-matters-throughout-october-2026.oembed","provider":"Aleph Contemporary","version":"1.0","type":"link"}