Allan Ramsay, artist, born 1959, in Edinburgh, is a portrait painter based in London. He was the winner of the 1988 John Player Portrait Award,subsequently known as the BP Portrait Award.
Allan Ramsay attended figure drawing classes at Edinburgh College of Art from 1978 -1982. He then studied drawing and painting at the Glasgow School of Art from 1982-1986. He has also studied figure painting at the Art Students League in New York.
In 1988 he won first prize in the John Player Portrait Award / BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery (London).
As part of this prize he was commissioned to paint the portrait of the English playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn for the National Portrait Gallery (London), permanent collection,(NPG 6074).
Other notable commissions include a portrait of Dr. John Mackay, Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh District Council.
Allan Ramsay is also a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award (Canada), a prestigious award for figurative painting.
Sayell,David; Simon,Jacob, National Portrait Gallery, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004