Charles Robert Saumarez Smith

Sitterback to top

• Charles Robert Saumarez Smith (1954-), Art historian. Sitter in 14 portraits, Artist of 1 portrait.

Artistback to top

• Tom Phillips (1937-), Artist. Artist of 22 portraits, Sitter in 4 portraits.

This portraitback to top

This portrait continues the National Portrait Gallery's tradition of commissioning portraits of departing Directors. Weekly sittings have taken place at the artist's studio over the past year, the artist's preferred working method in order to study his sitter over the passage of the changing seasons. The process has been recorded on film by Bruno Wollheim for Channel Four. Tom Phillips is a renowned artist, translator and collector whose works in the Gallery collection include portraits of Iris Murdoch and Susan Greenfield. In his choice of a three-quarter profile Phillips sites Bellini as an influence. Commenting on the experience of sitting for the portrait Charles Saumarez Smith has said: After a year of probing and exploration and long hours of looking out of the window and watching the seasons pass, I was suddenly a free man. I did not like it. I felt as if something had been taken away from me, not my appearance, but my shadow.

Subject/Themeback to top

• Commissions - Paintings and Drawings