Michael Noakes
Encyclopedia
Michael Noakes is an English
artist and portrait
painter.
He was educated at Downside School
, Somerset, and the Royal Academy Schools, London. His prime interests as a painter are in portraiture and landscape. He has been President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters
and Chairman of the Contemporary Portrait Society. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
and a Freeman of the City of London
.
He has painted actors, writers, academics, diplomats, politicians, lawyers, churchmen, senior military personnel, businessmen, leaders of the industry and members of the Royal Family
. He received a platinum disc for his sleeve design for the record Portrait of Sinatra (1977), the only painter ever to have been awarded such an honour.
He also enjoys working on informal private commissions, painting and drawing people of all ages and interests. His youngest sitter was just a few months old, commissioned by the child's mother: among his oldest was a man in his nineties, a present from a group of friends.
He has painted many of the world's leading figures. Among those who have sat for him are the Queen, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales
and the Anne, Princess Royal
, as well as most other members of the Royal Family. He was commissioned to paint Lady Thatcher
when she was Prime Minister. He has also painted President Clinton
, making preparatory studies with the President in the Oval Office
- one of only very few painters to have been given such access to any President of the United States - and Pope Benedict XVI
.
Michael Noakes spent much of 1999 with the Queen, making sketches, paintings and drawings for the book The Daily Life of the Queen: An Artist's Diary, written by his wife Vivien Noakes
, published September 2000.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist and 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,...
painter.
He was educated at Downside School
Downside School
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school for children aged 11 to 18, located in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Norton Radstock and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, south west England. It is attached to Downside Abbey...
, Somerset, and the Royal Academy Schools, London. His prime interests as a painter are in portraiture and landscape. He has been President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters
Royal Institute of Oil Painters
The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, also known as ROI, is an association of painters in London and is the only major art society which features work done only in oil. It is a member society of the Federation of British Artists.-History:...
and Chairman of the Contemporary Portrait Society. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Royal Society of Portrait Painters
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a British association of portrait painters which holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London...
and a Freeman of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
He has painted actors, writers, academics, diplomats, politicians, lawyers, churchmen, senior military personnel, businessmen, leaders of the industry and members of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
. He received a platinum disc for his sleeve design for the record Portrait of Sinatra (1977), the only painter ever to have been awarded such an honour.
He also enjoys working on informal private commissions, painting and drawing people of all ages and interests. His youngest sitter was just a few months old, commissioned by the child's mother: among his oldest was a man in his nineties, a present from a group of friends.
He has painted many of the world's leading figures. Among those who have sat for him are the Queen, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and the Anne, Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, as well as most other members of the Royal Family. He was commissioned to paint Lady Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
when she was Prime Minister. He has also painted President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, making preparatory studies with the President in the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
- one of only very few painters to have been given such access to any President of the United States - and Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
Michael Noakes spent much of 1999 with the Queen, making sketches, paintings and drawings for the book The Daily Life of the Queen: An Artist's Diary, written by his wife Vivien Noakes
Vivien Noakes
Vivien Mary Noakes was a British biographer, editor and critic. She was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.Noakes was born Vivien Langley, the daughter of a noted aeronautical engineer, Marcus Langley...
, published September 2000.