Anthony Christian
Encyclopedia
Anthony Christian is a British
painter.
Starting at the age of 10, child prodigy Anthony Christian studied the techniques of the "Old Masters" at the National Gallery
in London. Throughout his time at the National Gallery and for a further seven years Anthony studied the works of Rubens, Rembrandt and other Old Masters. His painting and drawing style most resembles the techniques of Leonardo da Vinci
.
In his earlier days Anthony earned his living as a portrait
artist, painting among others Lord Mountbatten of Burma
, Baroness Olympia de Rothschild, Baroness Fiona Thyssen-Bornemisza, Count Guido di Carpegna, Lord Lichfield, Blake Edwards, Julie Christie and Terence Stamp.
His work features in certain private art collections such as Gore Vidal
, Baroness Marie-Helene de Rothschild
, Viscountess Jacqueline de Ribes
, Mrs J Heinz, Bill Blass
, HM Queen Elizabeth II
, Mrs. James Lipton and Herbie Hancock.
His wife, Marian Fanny Christian, is also an artist. Fanny's style is probably unique in its form and uninfluenced by Christian's work although they sometimes combine their drawing skills to produce beautiful Collaborations
The painting he was copying was Philip Wouwermans' 'A Cavalry Battle', an extremely large and complicated painting measuring 6 feet by 4 feet 6 inches. So daunting was this painting that no other artist has ever attempted to reproduce it, but at only 10 years of age Anthony Christian was doing exactly that. It took him over six years to complete and during that time he had received offers up to £25,000 (in 1957)
By the early sixties he was making a name for himself as a portrait painter, receiving commissions from the world's rich and famous, which senht him travelling all over the world from New York to Nepal. Come the eighties he had become very well known for his preservation of the Renaissance
techniques; Society Magazine referred to him as "the World's fore-most Renaissance-style painter". But commissions never pleased him as his clients rarely wanted an image of themselves as his eye saw them, but rather an idealized version themselves. Christian wanted to become a Master of his own unique style that honoured the techniques of the Old Masters, and he realised that he could not achieve this through endless commissions.
So he left the mainstream market and sought refuge in Asia, and thus Anthony Christian disappeared from the Western World. He continued to paint in Asia, in fact by being free to his own style and inspiration he became extremely prolific. He experimented with technique and genre creating very inspired works. In 1988 he settled in Bali
where he established his first gallery which was extremely popular with clients across Asia.
In 1994 he moved to India
and found great inspiration in the country's landscape and culture, and later established the Ichor Foundation which has now expanded into India's center for bio-dynamic farming.
He has recently moved back to the United Kingdom and lives in Yorkshire with his wife
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
painter.
Starting at the age of 10, child prodigy Anthony Christian studied the techniques of the "Old Masters" at the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
in London. Throughout his time at the National Gallery and for a further seven years Anthony studied the works of Rubens, Rembrandt and other Old Masters. His painting and drawing style most resembles the techniques of Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
.
In his earlier days Anthony earned his living as a portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
artist, painting among others Lord Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, Baroness Olympia de Rothschild, Baroness Fiona Thyssen-Bornemisza, Count Guido di Carpegna, Lord Lichfield, Blake Edwards, Julie Christie and Terence Stamp.
His work features in certain private art collections such as Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, Baroness Marie-Helene de Rothschild
Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
Marie-Hélène de Rothschild was a French socialite who became a doyenne of Parisian high-society and was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France....
, Viscountess Jacqueline de Ribes
Jacqueline de Ribes
Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes is a French socialite and fashion designer. She is also a member of the International Best Dressed List since 1962.-Early life:...
, Mrs J Heinz, Bill Blass
Bill Blass
William Ralph "Bill" Blass was an American fashion designer, born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is known for his tailoring and his innovative combinations of textures and patterns...
, HM Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, Mrs. James Lipton and Herbie Hancock.
His wife, Marian Fanny Christian, is also an artist. Fanny's style is probably unique in its form and uninfluenced by Christian's work although they sometimes combine their drawing skills to produce beautiful Collaborations
Biography
In 1957 the newspapers announced Anthony Christian (known at the time as Howard Clanford) as a Child Prodigy since, having started at only ten years of age, he was studying art at The National Gallery, making him the youngest person ever to have permission to copy there. This honour is normally reserved for professional artists and students, but certainly never to anyone under the age of eighteen, making Christian's position unique even to this day. For the press that was a story in itself, but the thing that really grabbed their attention was the subject that Christian had chosen to copy and the sheer quality of the painting he was producing.The painting he was copying was Philip Wouwermans' 'A Cavalry Battle', an extremely large and complicated painting measuring 6 feet by 4 feet 6 inches. So daunting was this painting that no other artist has ever attempted to reproduce it, but at only 10 years of age Anthony Christian was doing exactly that. It took him over six years to complete and during that time he had received offers up to £25,000 (in 1957)
By the early sixties he was making a name for himself as a portrait painter, receiving commissions from the world's rich and famous, which senht him travelling all over the world from New York to Nepal. Come the eighties he had become very well known for his preservation of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
techniques; Society Magazine referred to him as "the World's fore-most Renaissance-style painter". But commissions never pleased him as his clients rarely wanted an image of themselves as his eye saw them, but rather an idealized version themselves. Christian wanted to become a Master of his own unique style that honoured the techniques of the Old Masters, and he realised that he could not achieve this through endless commissions.
So he left the mainstream market and sought refuge in Asia, and thus Anthony Christian disappeared from the Western World. He continued to paint in Asia, in fact by being free to his own style and inspiration he became extremely prolific. He experimented with technique and genre creating very inspired works. In 1988 he settled in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
where he established his first gallery which was extremely popular with clients across Asia.
In 1994 he moved to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and found great inspiration in the country's landscape and culture, and later established the Ichor Foundation which has now expanded into India's center for bio-dynamic farming.
He has recently moved back to the United Kingdom and lives in Yorkshire with his wife
| 1945 | Born in London, 24 October 1945 |
| 1955-60 | Painted in the National Gallery studying painting techniques, received national and international publicity as a child prodigy. |
| 1960 | Began earning a living as a portrait artist. Portraits include Antonio Vargas, Howard Greer and Blake Edwards. |
| 1966 | ROME: Portraits include Count Guido di Carpegna and Prince Edmondo Ruspoli. |
| 1967 | MOROCCO: Portraits include HRH Princess Lala Fattima Zahra and Mr George Ansley. |
| 1968 | LONDON: Portraits include Mr Peter Cazelet, race horse trainer to the Queen Mother, and his family. |
| 1969 | A One Man Exhibition of drawings at the Upper Grosvenor Gallery, London. Received commissions from Cambridge University to draw professors Binnie and French. Also drew the portrait of the Bishop of St Albans Edward Michael Gresford Jones The son of a Bishop, Edward Michael Gresford Jones KCVO, DD was enthroned as the 6th Bishop of St Albans on 28 September 1950, where he remained in office until 1970... . |
| 1970 | A One Man Exhibition of landscape oils at the Upper Grosvenor Gallery. Painted the portrait of Lord Rothermere. Exhibited at the Albert White Gallery in Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... . Exhibited at the Palm Beach Gallery in Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... . Portraits in New York include Niccolò Tucci Niccolò Tucci Niccolò Tucci was a short story writer and novelist who wrote in English and Italian.Born in Lugano, Switzerland of a Russian mother and an Italian father who became a Swiss citizen, Niccolò Tucci grew up in privileged circumstances that were eliminated by the Bolshevik Revolution. His family... and Henry Mattison. |
| 1972 | One Man Exhibition of landscape oils at the Hazlitt Gallery, London. Portraits include Baroness Fiona Thyssen-Bornemisza, Patricia Rawlings, Lord Boothby, and Shawn Phillips. PARIS: Portraits include Baron Alexis de Redé, General Billote and Marisa Berensen. |
| 1973 | ROME: Portraits include Luigi Barzini and his family. FLORENCE: Portraits include Countess Frescabaldi, and Countess Ruccini. MILAN: Portraits include Piero Stucchi and family. Signora Anna Crespi. |
| 1974 | Exhibited the painting Girl With An Apple at Wildenstein Gallery, London. Portraits include Lord Lichfield, Terence Stamp, Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. SPAIN: Portraits include Viscomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes. BRUSSELS: Portraits include Count Rene Boel and Sir Christopher Soames. |
| 1975 | LONDON: Portraits include Lord Mountbatten and Vladimir Vasilliev. PARIS: Portraits include Paul-Louis Weiller, Monsieur Jean de Beistegui, Baronne Olympia de Rothschild, Prince Michael de Bourbonne Parme. |
| 1984-85 | Travels through Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... . Work is sold throughout the United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... by Circle Galleries and R K Parker Galleries, New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... . |
| 1986 | Exhibits at Hammer Galleries, New York, then travels extensively through Europe. |
| 1988 | Travelled extensively painting in Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population... , moved to Bali Bali Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east... at the end of the year. |
| 1989 | Built private gallery and museum in Bali, immediately successful with visitors all over the world. |
| 1990 | Independence gained through the 'Collection Ichor' and its many visitors throughout the year, including some of Asia's most important collectors. |
| 1991 | First Catalogue of Limited Edition work, entitled 'A.Christian', is published and meets with great success in Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... , Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... , Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... and the United States. |
| 1992 | Painting in Asia, developing a new concept of showing several pictures at a time portrayed in a single work, entitled 'Door Frames'. |
| 1993 | Extensive travelling arranging the showing of 'Ichor Collection', which now includes 'Door Frames'. |
| 1994 | A dramatic change of style, experimenting within the realms of surrealism. Moves to India and establishes Ichor Foundation. Continues to exhibit throughout Asia and the USA. |
| 2000-05 | Establishes a European base in Yorkshire, England whilst maintaining Ichor in India which has expanded to become a centre for bio dynamic farming. Work exhibited in New Zealand , Australia, Ireland and India. Continues to work in the realms of erotic surrealism. Completed Volume One of God's Brush. |
| 2006 | God's Brush, Volume 1 - The Child That Art Made, Anthony Christian's autobiography published. |