David Griffiths (portrait painter)

David Griffiths (born 16 February 1939) is a Welsh portrait painter.

Biography

He was born to a Welsh family in Liverpool, England, but the family moved to Pwllheli when he was seven. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London under the direction of Professor Sir William Coldstream.

Regarded as one of the U.K's foremost portrait painters, David Griffiths' large output of work include portraits of royalty, ambassadors, archbishops, Lords Chancellor, distinguished parliamentarians, and well-known musicians and actors. It was his portrait of Prince Charles on the occasion of Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969 which brought him to general notice. This remains one of He has also painted William Stamps Farish III (ex-U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom), Enoch Powell, and a long list of Welsh notables including Barry John, Gwynfor Evans, John Meurig Thomas, Lord Tonypandy (as Speaker of the House of Commons), Siân Phillips, Bryn Terfel and Sir Geraint Evans.

The Midland Bank sponsored a major exhibition of his work at the 1970 National Eisteddfod. In 2002, the National Library of Wales held a retrospective show of his work.

Over sixty of his oil paintings are in UK university or gallery collections.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to Art, particularly Portrait Painting.

References

20th-century Welsh painters

20th-century British male artists

21st-century Welsh painters

21st-century Welsh male artists

21st-century male artists

1939 births

Living people

Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art

Welsh portrait painters

Members of the Order of the British Empire

Welsh male painters

20th-century Welsh male artists

Painters from Liverpool

People from Pwllheli