Haydn Cottam was born and raised in Southport, Merseyside, and went on to study at St. Martins School of Art, London. He was one of the celebrated generation of British painters to have emerged from St Martin's College of Art in the eighties - a cohort that included Gavin Lockhart and Peter Doig. Haydn now lives in East Sussex, where the landscape provides constant inspiration for his paintings.
Haydn Cottam's work has been commended in The BP Portrait Award, and he wasWinner of the inaugural BP Portrait Travel Award, leading to a solo exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery. He has also been awarded Winner, Most Promising Portrait Artist, Carroll Foundation Awards, Mall Galleries London and his work is held in the BBC National Collection. Haydn has regularly exhibited in London, L.A, Berlin, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Sussex, Devon, Loughborough and Merseyside and his work is included in private and public collections around the world.