Queen Elizabeth II
Oil on canvas, 38 1/2" x 28"
Hanging at The Royal Overseas League, London, SW1, UK |
At
the age of 28, Christian Furr became the youngest artist
to officially paint Queen Elizabeth II.
The
portrait was commissioned for the Royal Overseas League
in London, after the Queen herself chose him, from a short-list
of artists. It was painted in the Yellow Drawing Room at
Buckingham Palace and now hangs at the Royal Overseas League
Headquarters in St. James, London.
"His
Queen is elegant and regal, but around the mouth and eyes
plays a slight, suggestive flicker of a smile… such an intriguing
work." Mail on Sunday
"A
gentle, almost classical painting." Evening
Standard.
|
On
New Years Eve 2000 he was commissioned by Channel Four to paint
Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Tarbuck, live on air, for ‘The Biggest
Breakfast Ever’.
Born
in Heswall, Wirral in 1966. He studied at Wirral Metropolitan
College, Merseyside and Leicester Polytechnic, where he graduated
with a first class degree in Fine Art. He lives and works in London
and has exhibited extensively at shows and galleries, including
the Mall, Francis Kyle and the National Portrait Gallery.
“In
each painting, I aim to capture the most concise and accurate
likeness of my sitter that I can.“
My
recipe for a good portrait?
A
bit of their soul, a bit of my soul and a pinch of timelessness.
| Solo
Exhibitions |
| 1997 |
Royal
College of General Practitioners, London |
1993 |
the
Duffer of St George, London |
| 1993 |
Royal
Overseas League, London |
1993 |
The Tricycle
Gallery, London |
| Selected
Group Exhibitions |
| 1994 |
Royal College of General Portrait Society Annual Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London |
1991 |
East Meets West, Smiths Gallery, London |
| 1993 |
Windsor & Newton Young Artist's Award/ROI Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London |
1989 |
John Players National Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery |
| 1993/4 |
Artfair
1993/4, Francis Kyle Gallery, London |
1988 |
Venice Show, Loseby Gallery, Leicester |
| 1992/3 |
Royal
Overseas League Annual Open Exhibition, St James |
1999 |
National
Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery |
| Awards and Publications |
| Painting
of Queen Elizabeth II featured in The Evening Standard, The
Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Express, Majesty and Gente
Magazine (Italy). Interviewed on Good Morning Summer BBC One.
Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Scholarship 1991. Featured
artist in 'Painting by Diana Constance (Harper Collins) 1995.
Featured artist in 'Introduction to Oils' (Dorling Kindersly)
1993. Featured artist in Artist Magazine 1991. |
| Selected Commissions |
| Painted Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Tarbuck live on air on New Years Eve 2000 for ‘The Biggest Breakfast Ever’, Channel Four TV. Royal College of Psychiatrists portrait commission of Dr. Robert Kendell, President, 2000. Institution of Structural Engineers portrait commission of John Dougill, Chief Executive 1999. Institution of Civil Engineers portrait commission of Roger Sainsbury 1998. Royal College of General Practitioners portrait commission of Dr Lotte Newman 1997; French House portrait commission of Noel and Leslie Botham 1997: Royal Overseas League portrait commission of Queen Elizabeth II 1995; ROSL portrait of Maneck Dalal 1993; Leicester University portrait commission 1990. |
All
official portraits can be viewed by appointment through contacting
the relevant institutions.
Click
on the following thumbnail images
to see larger examples of the artists work:
 |
 |
"Roger
Sainsbury MA F.Eng F.I.C.E CBE",
President of The Institution of Civil Engineers
Hanging at 1 Great George Street, London SW1P, UK
Oil on Canvas, 27"x34" |
"Dr
Robert Kendell",
President of The Royal college
of Psychiatrists
Hanging at 17 Belgrave square,
London SW1X, UK
Oil on Canvas, 24"x48" |
 |
 |
"The
Artists's Studio",
Exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, Portrait Award
1989, London, UK
Oil on canvas, 108" x 72" |
"Edward
and Linda"
Oil on canvas, 27" x 27"
National Portrait Award,
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK 1999 |
 |
 |
"Portrait
of Mr Maneck Dalal",
Hanging at the The Royal Overseas League, St James, London,
SW1, UK
Oil on canvas, 34 1/2" x 28" |
"Portrait
of Dr Lotte Newman OBE"
President of The Royal College of General Practitioners
Hanging at Princes Gate, London SW7, UK
Oil on canvas, 34 1/2" x 28" |
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