Kevin Davies first created figurative art through painting, drawing and sculpture at Winchester School of Art, before being encouraged to pursue photography. The figurative continued in his work as he found success as a portrait photographer working for magazines such as i-D, The Face and Arena. He has photographed the likes of Ann Demeulemeester, Frank Auerbach, Derek Jarman, Leigh Bowery and Amy Winehouse. He went on to win the first Grand Prix du Jury Photographie at the Festival international de mode et de photographie in 1997.

Though unusually varied, his style might be categorised as environmental portraiture and his process favours working closely on long-term projects. This is exemplified by his 2013 book on Philip Treacy, covering 25 years of friendship and creative collaboration. Kevin’s extensive body of work and vast accumulation of photographs maintain a sense of space. As both an artist and documenter, he has an awareness of a photograph’s potential to become a future reference point.

These days Kevin spends his time revisiting forty years worth of neatly filed away negatives with his daughter and eager assistant, Alice. Together they scan, sometimes in silence and sometimes to the tracks of Kevin’s life. Kevin's work will be featured in The National Portrait Gallery’s upcoming exhibition, The Face Magazine: Culture Shift, opening on February 20, 2025.