William Joseph Oxer B.A. F.R.S.A. b.1973

William has always painted from a very young age.

After graduating with Honours in English, from Warwick University, William was immediately offered a place at the then Prince of Wales' Institute of Architecture. However, he was advised by them to take instead the role offered to him by Alec Cobbe, artist, restorer and collector, as his assistant.

Living in at Hatchlands Park, Surrey where The Cobbe Collection is based, William helped with various projects. These included interior design for the Walker Art Gallery, working as buyer for clients at Christies and Sothebys for country house/stately home owners and many other roles. He helped too, with an exhibition for the Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace.

William worked also on large-scale designs for interiors in historic houses such as Goodwood House and Petworth House, then going on to work with clients on private Country House period decoration in homes such as Wilton and Cathedral Close, Salisbury.

As well as continuing to paint, William worked in other areas, such as museum and exhibition design. This included creating the backdrop and stage for the William Beckford Exhibition at Christie’s, St James London and also the Building of Bath Museum, also known as The Museum of Bath Architecture, facilitated by Jesca Verdon-Smith and Sophie Scruton.

Throughout these years, William has continued to paint and show and sell his work to an increasing number of collectors. He also works with charities and where possible produces works to auction. A commission was auctioned at The Palace Of Versailles in May 2022 at the Royal Versailles Ball. Prior to this, the painting was shown at a Reception at the British Ambassador's Residence in Paris. This is in the Rue du Faubourg St Honoré, furnished with masterpieces of French Empire furniture and decorative arts, English silver, and paintings by British artists.

William’s latest London exhibition was in Mayfair in December 2024. As well as commissions for clients, William’s artworks are shown in exhibitions and bought by collectors across the world. Recently his works have been featured on gallery billboards in London, including those at Waterloo Station and also discussed and shown on a prime time Italian Arts and Culture programme.

In 2017 William was approached by the RSA and subsequently awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), an award granted to individuals that the RSA judges to have made outstanding achievements related to the Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.

Sir Professor Roger Scruton, (1944-2020) the writer and philosopher who also made a television documentary in 2009 entitled ‘Why Beauty Matters’, said: “William Oxer is not merely a painter; he is a distinctive sensibility, with a poetic vision he explores in many media. His art is affirmative, evocative and forgiving and offers us, in short, a return to the true and serious tradition.”

In 2017 William was approached by the RSA and subsequently awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), an award granted to individuals that the RSA judges to have made outstanding achievements related to the Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.

Recently William had one of his artworks featured on a main Italian arts and culture show, and has also been asked by Sky Arts to put himself forward for their ‘Portrait Artist of The Year’ Programme for 2025/6.
William lives and has his studio at an Old Rectory in the Cotswolds Hills with his partner and five dogs.