| Christian Furr | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 September 1966 Heswall, Wirral, UK |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Spouse | Emma Furr |
| Children | Three daughters |
| Website | |
| http://www.christianfurr.com | |
Christian Furr (born 24 September 1966) is an English painter. He was, at the age of 28, the youngest artist to officially paint Queen Elizabeth II. He was born in Heswall, Wirral, England.[1]
Furr was commissioned to paint the Queen in 1995 by the Royal Overseas League in London. The portrait now hangs there on permanent display and is viewable by the public. HRH Queen Elizabeth II chose Furr from a number of artists and the portrait was painted at Buckingham Palace.
In June 2011 Furr was commissioned to paint Blenheim Palace during GE Triathlon. In 2008 He was commissioned to paint Sultan, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. In 2002 Furr painted Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor for Westminster Cathedral along with Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue. Robinsons commissioned the artist to mark 70 years on Centre Court in 2005. The giant canvas featuring Tim Henman and Fred Perry was completed by over one thousand people at Wimbledon. He has appeared on several British television shows.
He taught Jade Goody how to paint on Channel 4's Richard & Judy and appeared in ITV daytime art series A Brush with Fame, presenting alongside Carol Smillie and David Lee (art critic).
Furr was awarded the Association of Colleges Gold Award (2004) at the House of Commons given to further education alumni who have gone on to achieve excellence in their chosen field. Furr was educated at Ladymount primary school, Heswall, St Anselm's College, Birkenhead did a foundation course at Wirral Metropolitan College and a Fine Art degree at De Montfort University
His work has been displayed in the Saatchi Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Society of Portrait Painters and The Royal Watercolour Society. He is a member of Chelsea Arts Club and the former Colony Room
Furr's other portrait subjects include: Tim Henman, Esme Bianco, Gered Mankowitz, and Fr Michael Seed. Take Art, Furr's how-to-draw book, was published in August 2008.