The Don Bachardy Fellowship
Deadline
November 20, 2025
22 days left
Application Fee
FREE
Rewards
Multiple Rewards
Interest
High
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About This Opportunity
The Don Bachardy Fellowship at the Royal Drawing School enables a gifted and dedicated post-graduate artist from outside the United Kingdom to attend the Royal Drawing School during the Summer Term each year.
The successful Don Bachardy fellow will have the opportunity to absorb London’s vibrant art scene by attending the school’s Shoreditch campus and occupy one of the school’s studios reserved for postgraduate students. The Royal Drawing School and studios are located in the heart of East London’s art, design, and fashion scene.
The fellowship is named after Californian portrait painter, Don Bachardy who studied at the Slade in 1961. Bachardy had his first show at the Redfern Gallery in Mayfair that year and has since gone on to draw and paint over 10,000 portraits from life.
The purpose of the fellowship is to help support an emerging artist and to nurture drawing as their foundation skill. Artists applying for the fellowship should show evidence of observational drawing in their practice.
Past recipients have come from the US, Syria, Chile and Brazil.
The Don Bachardy Fellowship is sponsored by The Christopher Isherwood Foundation, [www.IsherwoodFoundation.org](http://www.IsherwoodFoundation.org)
What You'll Get
Types: FUNDING
To assist with travel and accommodation costs the artist is awarded a stipend of $5,000.
Application Requirements
- ARTIST_STATEMENT
- ARTWORK_PORTFOLIO
- APPLICATION_FORMS
- PROJECT_DESCRIPTION
- The 2026 Don Bachardy Fellowship will take place from 27 April - 4 July 2026 at the Royal Drawing School in London. To assist with travel and accommodation costs, the Don Bachardy Fellow will be awarded a $5,000 stipend, half of which will be granted on receipt of the Fellowship and the remainder on arrival in London. The Don Bachardy Fellow will spend 3 full days per week for ten weeks, drawing alongside students studying on the school’s postgraduate-level programme, The Drawing Year, as well as students on Public Programme courses. Courses are taught by a distinguished faculty of over 75 practising artists. The Fellow will be invited to curate their own programme, choosing from 60+ drawing courses: from drawing out of house on London’s streets and green spaces, to life drawing, and drawing from art in major museums and galleries, as well as intaglio printmaking courses. The Fellow will have the opportunity to attend the school’s lecture series, which includes conversations with leading contemporary artists and art history lectures. Past speakers have included Cornelia Parker RA, Denzil Forrester, Maggi Hambling CBE, Helen Cammock, Walid Siti, and Michael Landy RA.
Eligibility
Other Requirements
The Don Bachardy Fellowship is open to international artists who have studied at MA level. Applications are open to artists who have not studied or lived in the UK before.
Royal Drawing School
London, GB
Verified Organization
Active since 2020
Ready to take the next step?
Don't miss out on this opportunity. Applications close on November 20, 2025.