Eton En Plein Air
For the very first time, an En Plen Air event is happening in Eton and you could take part! It will be kicking off Eton Arts Week on Saturday 24th May. The art created will be on display at an exhibition at the Austen-Leigh and Baldwin institute until late afteroon of Monday 26th.
En Plein Air
The long established and very popular Windsor En Plein Air has been held biannually in the grounds of Windsor Castle since 2012, with artists from far and wide taking part. This year, Eton is adding its own event to the calendar, offering the opportunity to paint the beautiful views and buildings of Eton, both town and college as well as the iconic views across the river to Windsor.
En plein air is the term used when a painter creates a work of art from start to finish in an outdoor location. En plein air is of course French and means in the open air, or outdoors.
That outdoor scenes are always painted in the open air and with the view in front of the painter’s eyes might be a natural assumption if you’re not an artist. However, it is very often not the case for the entire process to take place outdoors. In fact, before John Constable pioneered creating pictures entirely outdoors in the early 19th century, artists would start their work outside, creating a sketch, but always finish it in their studio. Still today the majority of art depicting outdoor scenes are more often than not finished indoors, not least as it might be easy to take a quick photograph of a beautiful view, but getting access and permission to spend time depicting that view with a canvas and easel is a different matter.
We are therefore delighted to have secured permission for a number of fantastic locations around Eton, taking in everything from sections of Eton College and the beautiful Eton streetscape to riverside locations with views of Windsor Castle. On the day, registration for artists open at 08.00, after which they can start setting up their easels. The work needs to be complete by 16.00 and it will then go on display at the Austen-Leigh and Baldwin Institute.
Exhibition, judging and art sale
Our panel of judges will inspect the submissions once they are all displayed at the Austen-Leigh and Baldwin Institute. There will be an awards ceremony at 18.00 when the winner of Eton En Plein Air 2025 will be announced, along with second and third prize winners. The prize pots are £1,000 for First Prize, £500 for Second Prize and £250 for Third Prize.
The exhibition with the art from Eton En Plein Air will be open on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th May with the opportunity for the general public to vote on their favourite painting as well as buy some of the art on display.
How to Apply
To sign up to Eton En Plein Air 2025 you need to fill in the Entry Form which you can access through the button below.
The application form includes the opportunity to apply for three locations, in order of preference. Full information on the locations for Eton En Plein Air is available in the Eton En Plein Air 2025 Artists Information Document.
The fee to take part in Eton En Plein Air is £50, payable by BACS as part of the sign-up process. Spaces are limited and locations will be allocated by the committee.
Please read through the Artists Information Pack before filing your entry.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to Eton!
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