Charles Billich
Encyclopedia
Charles Billich (born 1934) was named Artist of the 1996 Summer Olympics
. He is the recipient of the 2000 Sport Artist of the Year Award presented annually by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives.
He was named Designated Artist 2001 Centenary Nobel Peace Prize.
Inspired by his work entitled The Beijing Cityscape, the official image for the successful Beijing bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, Charles Billich conceived a series of images based on the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta warriors. The Bing Ma Yong
images are represented on a collection of 16 postage stamps currently in circulation in China.
.
Billich paints and draws in all media
and sculpts in precious and semi-precious metals.
Billich's painting subjects include Ballet
and sport
, architecture
and town planning, eroticism and classicism
, portrait
ure and stage
. Humanitarian pieces and works of religious significance are also within the focus of the Artist.
"Humanity United" was created from a brief extended to him by the Australian Red Cross to commemorate the 2001 Centenary of the Nobel Prize for Peace. Dr José Ramos-Horta, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation for East Timor
, requested he paint their Independence painting.
In June 2004, Billich exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Hosted by the UN Friendship Club, Billich was been invited back with his "Humanity United" collection in September 2006.
Inspired by his work "The Beijing Cityscape", the official image for the successful Beijing bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games
, Charles Billich conceived a series of images based on the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta Warriors. The collection of images, portray the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta Warriors in a series of sporting compositions.
In June 2004 Billich completed "Jubilation China's 100 Year Olympic Dream Realised" - a piece depicting the celebration that followed the announcement of China's to be the 2008 Olympic host nation.
Billich created a cityscape painting of the 2008 Olympic Water Sports Venue Qingdao
, which has been presented to the Mayor and the Beijing Olympic Committee in Qingdao
in July 2005.
Billich also created "The World In Union." This is the official image of the Rugby World Cup
2003.
Charles Billich received the "Honorary Citizen of Atlanta" and the Key to the City during the Centennial Games; the title Sports Artist of the Year 2000, an Honorary Doctorate and the "Order of the Eagle Exemplar" from the United States Sports Academy and American Sport Art Museum. In 2004 he has also assumed the role of Trustee of this premier sports education facility. Billich has been decorated with the Olympic Gold Order by the French Ministry of Sport for his contributions to the French Olympic Team during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
, Istria
, in what was then Italy, now Croatia. After release from prison in Maribor for his journalistic anti-Yugoslav propaganda activities, he emigrated to Australia on the Italian ship Toscana on her last voyage before scrapping. He was asked to join the two Australians teaching English on board and that was his first Australian job. Upon disembarcation he worked for the Employment Service at Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
, dispatching immigrants and political refugees from all over Eastern Europe to work all over the Australian continent.
Three months later he went to Melbourne to study art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
and the National Gallery Art School
, working as taxi driver, sign writer, graphic designer and advertising art director before embarking on a career in fine art.
Art Bank Commonwealth of Australia;
City of Düsseldorf, Germany;
Brisbane City Hall Art Gallery;
The Parliament of Victoria;
Australian Embassy to Germany;
Australian Embassy to Croatia;
Hall of Congress, Washington D.C., Queensland Art Gallery;
U.S. Sports Academy;
Royal Collection, Kuala Lumpur;
City of Melbourne;
Government Utah, USA;
Government East Timor;
Central Queensland University, Rockhampton;
The City of Sydney;
Embassy of Croatia, Canberra;
Australian Embassy to Japan;
City of Kanagawa, Japan;
USA Australian Olympic Committee Headquarters, Sydney;
New York State Govt. Port Authority;
The Royal Collection of Thailand;
Parliament House, Dili, East Timor;
Exhibition Building, Melbourne;
Royal Australian Air Force;
Rockhampton Gallery, Qld;
The City of Hakodate, Japan;
The City of Osaka, Japan;
State Theatre
, Sydney;
The Parliament of Japan;
City of Rijeka, Croatia;
NSW Government, Australia;
Beijing Olympic Organising Committee;
City Of Qingdao China;
”Eco Art Parade 2009" is an environmental art exhibition in aid of the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco. This year’s theme is that of the Bonelli’s Eagles, an endangered species of the Mediterranean, whose protection is supported by the Foundation.
To honor the beauty and the rights of the Bonelli’s Eagles, Charles Billich presented a bronze sculpture of “The Order of the Golden Eagle.” The work can be viewed from 8 June to 8 October 2009 in the Principality of Monaco.
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. He is the recipient of the 2000 Sport Artist of the Year Award presented annually by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives.
He was named Designated Artist 2001 Centenary Nobel Peace Prize.
Inspired by his work entitled The Beijing Cityscape, the official image for the successful Beijing bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, Charles Billich conceived a series of images based on the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta warriors. The Bing Ma Yong
Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China...
images are represented on a collection of 16 postage stamps currently in circulation in China.
Biography
Charles Billich's work hung in the The White House, the UN and the VaticanVatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
.
Billich paints and draws in all media
Media (arts)
In the arts, a media or medium is a material used by an artist or designer to create a work.-Architecture:In the art and science of architecture, the design and construction of buildings and interiors, infrastructure and other physical structures are created...
and sculpts in precious and semi-precious metals.
Billich's painting subjects include Ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and town planning, eroticism and classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
, 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,...
ure and stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. Humanitarian pieces and works of religious significance are also within the focus of the Artist.
"Humanity United" was created from a brief extended to him by the Australian Red Cross to commemorate the 2001 Centenary of the Nobel Prize for Peace. Dr José Ramos-Horta, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation for East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, requested he paint their Independence painting.
In June 2004, Billich exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Hosted by the UN Friendship Club, Billich was been invited back with his "Humanity United" collection in September 2006.
Inspired by his work "The Beijing Cityscape", the official image for the successful Beijing bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, Charles Billich conceived a series of images based on the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta Warriors. The collection of images, portray the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta Warriors in a series of sporting compositions.
In June 2004 Billich completed "Jubilation China's 100 Year Olympic Dream Realised" - a piece depicting the celebration that followed the announcement of China's to be the 2008 Olympic host nation.
Billich created a cityscape painting of the 2008 Olympic Water Sports Venue Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, which has been presented to the Mayor and the Beijing Olympic Committee in Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
in July 2005.
Billich also created "The World In Union." This is the official image of the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
2003.
Charles Billich received the "Honorary Citizen of Atlanta" and the Key to the City during the Centennial Games; the title Sports Artist of the Year 2000, an Honorary Doctorate and the "Order of the Eagle Exemplar" from the United States Sports Academy and American Sport Art Museum. In 2004 he has also assumed the role of Trustee of this premier sports education facility. Billich has been decorated with the Olympic Gold Order by the French Ministry of Sport for his contributions to the French Olympic Team during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Biography - Early life
Charles Billich was born in LovranLovran
Lovran is a town in Istria, Croatia. It is situated on the western coast of the Kvarner Bay with a population of 3,241 . Its name derives from Laurel , as shown in the coat of arms....
, Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, in what was then Italy, now Croatia. After release from prison in Maribor for his journalistic anti-Yugoslav propaganda activities, he emigrated to Australia on the Italian ship Toscana on her last voyage before scrapping. He was asked to join the two Australians teaching English on board and that was his first Australian job. Upon disembarcation he worked for the Employment Service at Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the post World War II immigration boom. The camp was set on near the small town of Bonegilla in north east Victoria, between the Hume Dam and the city of Wodonga...
, dispatching immigrants and political refugees from all over Eastern Europe to work all over the Australian continent.
Three months later he went to Melbourne to study art at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
and the National Gallery Art School
Victorian College of the Arts
The Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
, working as taxi driver, sign writer, graphic designer and advertising art director before embarking on a career in fine art.
Collections
- The Vatican Collection, Rome
- United Nations Heardquarters, Geneva
- The White House Collection, Washington D.C.
- Ferrari Collection, Milan
- Shaolin Temple, China
- International Red Cross Museum, Geneva
- International Olympic Museum, Lausanne
- Museum of Modern Art Mobile, Alabama
Art Bank Commonwealth of Australia;
City of Düsseldorf, Germany;
Brisbane City Hall Art Gallery;
The Parliament of Victoria;
Australian Embassy to Germany;
Australian Embassy to Croatia;
Hall of Congress, Washington D.C., Queensland Art Gallery;
U.S. Sports Academy;
Royal Collection, Kuala Lumpur;
City of Melbourne;
Government Utah, USA;
Government East Timor;
Central Queensland University, Rockhampton;
The City of Sydney;
Embassy of Croatia, Canberra;
Australian Embassy to Japan;
City of Kanagawa, Japan;
USA Australian Olympic Committee Headquarters, Sydney;
New York State Govt. Port Authority;
The Royal Collection of Thailand;
Parliament House, Dili, East Timor;
Exhibition Building, Melbourne;
Royal Australian Air Force;
Rockhampton Gallery, Qld;
The City of Hakodate, Japan;
The City of Osaka, Japan;
State Theatre
State Theatre (Sydney)
The State Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre, located in Market Street, in the city centre of Sydney, Australia.The Sydney Film Festival is hosted there for two weeks each June, and has been there since 1974.-Description and history:...
, Sydney;
The Parliament of Japan;
City of Rijeka, Croatia;
NSW Government, Australia;
Beijing Olympic Organising Committee;
City Of Qingdao China;
Recent appointments
- Artist, Florence Biennale 2009
- Artist, Monaco Eco Art Parade 2009
- Artist, ChinaWhite Cartier Polo Tournament 2009, Guards Polo Club, UK
- Artist, St. Tropez Open Du Soleil Polo Tournament 2009, France
- Appointed, by Royal Command, Artist in Residence for the Coronation of His Majesty King George Tupou VGeorge Tupou VGeorge Tupou V , is the current King of Tonga.-Early life:...
, Tonga 2008 - St Moritz Art Masters, Switzerland 2008
- Artist for Australian Olympic Team, Beijing 2008
- Artist for US Olympic Team, Beijing 2008
- Artist Carnivale Christi 2004/2005
- Artistic Patron Sydney Polo Club 2004
- Artist for Australian Olympic Team, Athens 2004
- Artist for US Olympic Team, Athens 2004
- Artist for Australia Day Regatta 2001 - 2006
- Trustee United States Sports Academy
- Patron NSW Chin Woo Athletics Association
- Artist Sydney Greek Festival 2004
- Artist for Rugby World Cup, 2003
- Artist for Timor-Leste Independence Day, 2002
- Artist for United States Olympic Committee, 2002/2003
- Designated Artist 2001 Centenary Nobel Peace Prize
- Sports Artist of the Year, 2000
- Artist for the Australian and US Olympic Teams, Sydney 2000
- Artist Beijing Olympic Bid, 1999-2000
- Artist for the Australian and US Olympic Teams, Atlanta 1996
- Artist 1996 Formula 1 Grand Prix, Melbourne, 1996
- Commemorative Centenary Painting, Australian Football League, 1996
Recent Exhibitions
- Eco Art Parade 2009
”Eco Art Parade 2009" is an environmental art exhibition in aid of the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco. This year’s theme is that of the Bonelli’s Eagles, an endangered species of the Mediterranean, whose protection is supported by the Foundation.
To honor the beauty and the rights of the Bonelli’s Eagles, Charles Billich presented a bronze sculpture of “The Order of the Golden Eagle.” The work can be viewed from 8 June to 8 October 2009 in the Principality of Monaco.
Awards
- Winner, Florence Biennale 2009, Lorenzo Il Magnifico Painting Prize
- 77th Honorary Shaolin Monk, Henan, China 2004
- Milan & Spoleto Awards, Italy, 1989
- Victorian Heritage & Cultural Award 1988
- Centennial Olympic City, USA 1996
- Honorary Citizen of Atlanta,1996
- Order of the Eagle Exemplar, USA, 2000
- Doctor Philosophy Honoris Causa-United States Sports Academy
- Prints award/Gold Medal 1987/88
- Spoleto Award, Italy, 1987
Published resources
- Who's Who in Australia 2009
- USA Sports Academy Publication, 2000
- Billich Art Armanae, Grafiche Nicolini Editore, Italy 2000
- 2000 Outstanding Artists and Designers of the 20th Century, UK
- Artists & Galleries of Australia
- Billich 1971-1991(Editalia)
- Encyclopaedia of Australian Art
- Australian Impressionist & Realist Artists
- Who's Who of Australian Visual Artists
External links
- Official site - Australia and Asia
- Official site - Europe
- "Home Is Where My Art Is" - Financial Times - Weekend Edition, 28 March 2008
- "Century-old Olympic Dream Comes True - on Canvas," 29 July 2004
- "Olympic Artist Shows Painting: Magnificent Tianjin
- "Sport Artist of the Year 2000: Charles Billich" (CCTV.com)