Sarah Jane Moon

Sarah Jane Moon (b.1982, Wellington, New Zealand) is a British New Zealand figurative painter based in London. Her work explores identity, gender and the performative aspects of self, often depicting figures against gestural fields of vibrant, saturated colour. She is known for her energetic mark making and rich impasto, which give her paintings a distinctive vitality and communicate the admiration she has for those she paints.

Raised in New Zealand, Moon studied Art History and Theory, and Curatorial Practice in New Zealand and Australia before training in painting at The Heatherley School of Fine Art, Chelsea. She now regularly teaches at Heatherleys and has also taught portraiture and fine art at degree level.

She has exhibited widely, including at the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. Her work has been selected for the National Portrait Gallery’s Portrait Award several times, and her portrait of Peter Tatchell was acquired for the NPG Collection in 2024. Her portrait of Georgina Beyer was acquired for the New Zealand national collection, housed in the Alexander Turnbull Library, in 2025. Other notable achievements include winning the Madame F Queer Britain Art Award and the Rudolph Blume Foundation Award in 2025, alongside accolades such as the Arts Charitable Trust Award the Bulldog Bursary for Portraiture.