Lou Boileau / Portraits 1986 - 2026
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Opening Times
11am -7pm on the Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Wednesday 11am - 5pm 11am – 3pm Sunday
Lou Boileau (born 1959) is a British photographer known for his distinctive portraiture within entertainment, theatre and the arts. His work combines the immediacy of documentary and reportage with a considered fine-art sensibility.
After studying fine art, then four years of formal photographic training, Boileau moved to Italy, where he worked as a freelance photographer across portraiture, fashion and lifestyle. Returning to the UK, he built a strong reputation for portraiture in publishing, theatre and magazines, alongside ongoing independent projects.
He has photographed a remarkable range of cultural figures, including John Thaw, Norman Wisdom, Keith Floyd, John Lydon, Julie Walters, Rik Mayall, James Earl Jones and Hugh Bonneville. His portraits combine character, atmosphere and visual restraint, often revealing something beyond the public persona. The National Portrait Gallery in London has acquired eight of them for its permanent collection.
Rooted in a fascination with people, character and the moment, his ability to pair the immediacy of reportage with the discipline of fine art defines his portraiture.
For the past five years, Lou has been producing and exhibiting his work as limited-edition prints. This exhibition at Coningsby Gallery presents a personal selection of his favourite works, chosen not only for their visual qualities but for the stories and experiences within them.
Every photograph begins with a moment: a fleeting encounter, an unexpected scene, a place or story that demanded to be captured. Here, Lou takes us beyond the finished image, sharing the circumstances and inspirations behind each one.
Together, the works form a personal journey through his photography, revealing not only what he saw, but why it mattered. It is a collection about photography, but also about memory, observation and the stories within a single frame.