Copyright Sarah Ball. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography.
Jerwood Collection is delighted to announce the acquisition of Emma, a portrait by Sarah Ball (b. 1965). Known for her meticulously rendered paintings, Ball explores how individuals project images of themselves to the world, often capturing the delicate balance between appearance, identity and mystery.
Based on a specially staged photograph of artist Emma Fineman, Emma is an intimate counterpart to Ball’s larger portrait of the same model. Here, Fineman’s platinum blonde hair is wrapped in a patterned vintage silk scarf, her features accentuated with contoured cheekbones, pink blush, winged lashes and bold matte red lips. Set against a neutral background, Ball distils the sitter’s idiosyncratic style while retaining an enigmatic quality. As the artist observes: “These little vignettes give you a little bit of information but then invite you to fill in the rest.”
Rendered in minute detail, this small-scale portrait demands sustained attention, resisting the rapid pace of contemporary image consumption. The subject’s direct gaze conveys confidence, inviting viewers to engage closely and reflectively. Ball explains: “Depending on the scale of the work, the intensity of the formal language varies, but in all the works, the intention is to point you towards the gaze as the way to access meaning.”
The addition of Emma enriches Jerwood Collection’s holdings of contemporary portraiture.
October 16, 2025
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