The Art of Greatness: Young Kiwi artist launches new exhibition with Jonah Lomu portrait

Auckland artist Jeremy Kyle at work.

A portraiture of late All Black great Jonah Lomu is the standout piece in the new exhibition by a young Kiwi artist.

Auckland artist Jeremy Kyle says the 60cm x 80cm Lomu portrait is one of the paintings he is most proud of in his exhibition titled The Art of Greatness.

"It cultivates on my latest and in my opinion probably one of my greatest portraitures of Jonah Lomu," Kyle said.

"I themed the exhibition around The Art of Greatness which in my opinion he embodies and I felt a real connection because he wasn't just a great sports player but a great person as well ... He's sort of the face of this exhibition in a way."

The 26-year-old's latest exhibition opened today at the Exhibitions Gallery in Newmarket and is made up of 10 different paintings of mainly sports players, including Kiwi rugby stars Lomu and Sonny Bills Williams.

Auckland artist Jeremy Kyle is most proud of his painting of Jonah Lomu which is a key feature in his new exhibition.

The only exception to the sporting theme is one of Kyle's older paintings of pop artist Tupac Shakur, which helped him get recognised internationally.

"It's probably one of my more renowned pieces and it is because of that piece I probably got a lot of exposure you could say."

Kyle graduated from Unitec with a Graduate Diploma in Graphic Design in 2012 and said this was where he started discovering his own unique style which uses a mix of watercolours and ink.

Rapper Tupac Shakur by Auckland artist Jeremy Kyle at his new exhibition, The Art of Greatness, which opens today.

After graduating, Kyle started putting his artwork out there and was overwhelmed by the response.

"Roll through a few years and I was doing some work for Under Armour and the Chicago Bulls for their 50th Anniversary. It just kind of skyrocketed I guess, and I realised I had found something that was quite unique."

Kyle was commissioned to create a series of paintings of Chicago Bulls players, including Michael Jordan along with current players, and was blown away when he received a signed letter from the basketball legend praising his work.

Other international clients include the United Nations and Dior, but Kyle said he has become more selective and is working with foundations and trusts to create artwork which highlights issues.

He has created a painting for the Brendon McCullum Trust which will be signed by the cricketer and auctioned to raise money for the Christchurch Children's Hospital.

The Art of Greatness exhibition runs until November 18 and all the artwork on display is for sale.