Xavier Pick was born in York, England in 1972. He was brought up in Yorkshire and attended Pocklington School. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and The Royal College of Art. He has won critical acclaim for his visual story telling. He produces thousands of sketches to produce impressive large multi-media art works that tell a story, whether it be the Iraq war, London life or corporate life. In 2000, he opened a shop cum studio in Gatley. This came after a successful exhibition of his local works at Gatley hill House. The works concerned the local shops and their staff and customers. The business closed after less than a years trading. In 2000, a feature article about him (c.4 pages) was published in the Manchester Life magazine (no longer published). In 2008, he was chosen to be an official war artist in Iraq[1][2] Xavier Pick is also the resident artist of the Sanctum Hotel, Soho, London.[3] [4]
Xavier Pick joined the British Army's 20th Armoured Brigade (The Iron Fist) in southern Iraq in 2008 and 2009 to record the final weeks of Operation Telic.[5] He was given 24-hour access to the Army over a 6-week period; in his own words he set out "trying to understand what we were doing for the Iraqi people". He joined the Army in their building of schools, hospitals and transport links. Xavier Pick produced sketches, photographs, and film footage.[6]