Andrew Festing
Encyclopedia
Andrew Festing MBE
PPRP
(born in 1941) is a well known portrait painter, and fellow and former president of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
.
and Mary Cecilia Riddell. He was brought up in Northumberland, and educated at Ampleforth College
and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. He was commissioned into The Rifle Brigade where he served until 1969. In 1968 he married Virginia Fyffe, and has one daughter – Charlotte – and two grandchildren.
Festing worked at Sotheby's
in 1969 and was head of the British Pictures Department from 1977–1981, where he became Sotheby’s chief expert for British Pictures, with and extensive knowledge of portrait painting over the last 400 years. He painted many portraits whilst in the army and at Sotheby's, and took up fulltime portrait painting in 1981.
Festing became a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
(RP) in 1989 and was President (PRP) from 2002–2008. In 2007, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts. In 2010 he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters
from Northumbria University
.
Notable commissions include Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal Family
on a number of occasions; official portraits of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and the House of Lords
in session; official portraits of Speakers Boothroyd and Martin; four group portraits of all the famous English Cricket players in the last 40 years for Lords
; six group portraits of the staff at Holkham Hall
in Norfolk
. Festing has painted some 750 portraits in the last 30 years.
His portraits can be found in the Royal Collections, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland
, The Palace of Westminster and many of the major private and public collections in Britain
. Festing has worked a lot in America
, Germany
, Sweden
, Denmark
, France
and Ireland
. He exhibited annually at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
.
Festing also paints landscapes, still lives and watercolours. He has studios in central London
and in Northumberland
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
PPRP
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...
(born in 1941) is a well known portrait painter, and fellow and former president 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...
.
Life
Andrew Festing is the third son of four boys of Field Marshal Sir Francis FestingFrancis Festing
Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing GCB, KBE, DSO , called 菲士挺 in Chinese, was a field marshal of the British Army...
and Mary Cecilia Riddell. He was brought up in Northumberland, and educated at Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He was commissioned into The Rifle Brigade where he served until 1969. In 1968 he married Virginia Fyffe, and has one daughter – Charlotte – and two grandchildren.
Festing worked at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in 1969 and was head of the British Pictures Department from 1977–1981, where he became Sotheby’s chief expert for British Pictures, with and extensive knowledge of portrait painting over the last 400 years. He painted many portraits whilst in the army and at Sotheby's, and took up fulltime portrait painting in 1981.
Festing became 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...
(RP) in 1989 and was President (PRP) from 2002–2008. In 2007, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the arts. In 2010 he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
from Northumbria University
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
.
Notable commissions include Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British 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...
on a number of occasions; official portraits of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in session; official portraits of Speakers Boothroyd and Martin; four group portraits of all the famous English Cricket players in the last 40 years for Lords
Lords
- Places :*Lord's Cricket Ground, English Cricket Ground and home of Marylebone County Cricket Club.- Politics :*House of Lords, upper house of the British parliament*Lords Spiritual, clergymen of the House of Lords...
; six group portraits of the staff at Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Festing has painted some 750 portraits in the last 30 years.
His portraits can be found in the Royal Collections, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland
National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland houses the Irish national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street. It was founded in 1854 and opened its doors ten years later...
, The Palace of Westminster and many of the major private and public collections in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Festing has worked a lot in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He exhibited annually at 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...
.
Festing also paints landscapes, still lives and watercolours. He has studios in central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
.
External links
- Andrew Festing, Portrait Painter - his official website
- Andrew Festing PPRP MBE - website of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters