Andrew Vicari | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vicari in 2007 | |
| Born | 20 April 1932 Port Talbot, Wales |
| Died | 3 October 2016 (aged 84) Morriston Hospital,Swansea, Wales |
| Education | Neath Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Slade School of Fine Art |
| Occupation | Artist |
Andrew Vicari (bornAndrea Antonio Giovanni Vaccari; 20 April 1932 – 3 October 2016) was a Welsh painter working in France, who established a career painting portraits of prominent people. Despite being largely unknown in his own country, as of 2004[update] Vicari was Britain's richest living painter,[citation needed] and at one time Britain's 18th richest person.[1]
Vicari was born inPort Talbot, Wales, in 1932[2] to Italian parents, Vittorio Vaccari ('tobacconist and confectioner'), and his wife, Italini Bertani, fromParma.[3][4] He was evacuated toAberdare during World War II. He later attendedNeath Grammar School for Boys. Aged 12 he won the Gold Medal for Painting at theWales National Eisteddfod.[3] Between 1950 and 1952 he studied painting at theSlade School of Fine Art atUniversity College London (UCL) underWilliam Coldstream and occasionallyLucian Freud as teachers. He had initially been refused a place at the Slade and was only admitted when someone dropped out.[5]
After only two years, in 1952, Vicari left the Slade without completing his diploma course and went to Florence. He stayed there and in Rome for two years before returning 'penniless' to the UK.[6] He then began working in London as a portrait painter and in 1961 a large show of his work was put on in the former Debenhams showroom near Leicester Square financed by the band leader and impresarioJack Hylton. Eschewing modern trends, he remained a figurative artist working in oil. His work is appreciated worldwide, especially in the Middle East where three museums are solely dedicated to his work.
In 1974, Vicari was appointed as the official painter to theKing andGovernment of Saudi Arabia.[3] In the following decades, he painted many portraits of theSaudi royal family as well as scenes ofRiyadh andBedouin life. It is largely due to this patronage that Vicari owed his financial success and in 2011 earned him the title "The Rembrandt of Riyadh" fromThe New York Times.[5] In 2001, he sold a collection of 125 paintings of theFirst Gulf War to Prince Khaled for £17 million.[1]
Vicari lived and worked at his studio outsideNice, France, although he also owned apartments in Riyadh and Monte Carlo.
In 2006 his fortune was valued at £92 million by theSunday Times Rich List.[7] In October 2014, however, it was reported that Vicari had filed for bankruptcy and had been in poor health.[8]
Vicari died atMorriston Hospital,Swansea on 3 October 2016 at the age of 84.[1]
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