Gavin Rain

Gavin Rain is a contemporary South African painter known for his use of Pointillist techniques to depict portraits of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Marilyn Monroe. “Each dot usually comprises five or so colors. When seen from a distance these colors become one and the image resolves,” he has explained of his technique.

Born on March 23, 1971 in Cape Town, South Africa, Rain studied art at the University of Cape Town. Rain arrived at his hallmark style around 2004, which he developed out of an interest in Georges Seurat and 20th-century Russian avant-garde painters.

In 2011, Rain participated in the 54th Venice Biennale with a painting shown in Costa Rica’s pavilion.

The artist currently lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa.