Latest news with #PaulBenney
CNN
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Coronation portrait of UK's King Charles unveiled
London Reuters — The official coronation portrait of Britain's King Charles was made public on Tuesday, two years after he was crowned, in a tradition dating back more than 400 years to a time when such a painting often became the defining image of a monarch. The portrait of Charles, in his Robe of State standing beside the Imperial State Crown, and one of his wife, Queen Camilla, will go on display in London's National Gallery for a month before being moved to Buckingham Palace, their permanent home, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Tuesday. The King's portrait was created by English figurative painter Peter 76, who was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer early last year some 10 months after his coronation, has been sitting for the portrait while he undergoes treatment. The king and queen commissioned the paintings shortly after the coronation ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey, choosing different artists. Charles was painted by Peter Kuhfeld, while Camilla selected Paul Benney, Buckingham Palace said. 'I have tried to produce a painting that is both human and regal, continuing the tradition of royal portraiture,' Kuhfeld said in a statement of the image of the king whose backdrop is the Throne Room in St James's Palace. Queen Camilla was captured by Paul Benney. Camilla is the second consecutive monarch to have been painted by Benney, after the late Queen Elizabeth II. Paul Benney Camilla is seen wearing her Coronation Dress of ivory colored silk, next to a different crown. Benney said he wanted to acknowledge the historic nature of the coronation while also showing 'the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role.' Historically, the paintings were used as a show of power. The earliest example in the royal collection is the state portrait of James I of England, James VI of Scotland, from 1620.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
King and Queen unveil Coronation portraits at National Gallery
King and Queen unveil Coronation portraits 8 minutes ago Share Save Daniela Relph Senior royal correspondent, reporting from the National Gallery Share Save PA Media Artists Peter Kuhfeld (left) and Paul S. Benney (right) pose with the King and Queen in front of the portraits King Charles and Queen Camilla have unveiled their new state portraits at the National Gallery on the second anniversary of their Coronation day. The paintings will be displayed in the gallery's Central Hall before moving to Buckingham Palace in June. The portrait of the King shows him wearing the Robe of State alongside his naval uniform with medals, and the Queen is portrayed wearing her coronation dress. There was applause at the gallery on Tuesday as the couple pulled down coverings to reveal both portraits, before stepping back to admire the paintings. The King was painted by Peter Kuhfeld, who has known him for more than 40 years, while the Queen was painted by Paul S. Benney. The robe worn by the King is the one used during the first part of the coronation service. In keeping with tradition, alongside him is the Imperial State Crown. Alongside the Queen in her portrait is her crown and the Robe of Estate she wore as she left Westminster Abbey on coronation day. PA Media The King's portrait PA Media The Queen looks on at her portrait The King sat for Mr Kuhfeld at St James's Palace five times over a year and a half. There were also two separate sittings with just the crown. "I've spent quite a long time with him over the years so I'm used to being with him, " the artist said. "As a person he's very interesting, he is very understanding of what a painter needs to do the job." Mr Benney had six official sittings with the Queen in the Garden Room at Clarence House. He was also allowed to set up a studio there allowing him to meet the Queen informally many times. "The sittings were extremely pleasurable on my part," he said. "I like to talk when I'm painting… and so we had a lot of chat and stories which we told each other. "At times I would be holding my tummy from laughing so much. The Queen is very witty." What do the royals think of the portraits?
Reuters
06-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Coronation portrait of UK's King Charles unveiled
LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - The official coronation portrait of Britain's King Charles was made public on Tuesday, two years after he was crowned, in a tradition dating back more than 400 years to a time when such a painting often became the defining image of a monarch. The portrait of Charles, in his Robe of State standing beside the Imperial State Crown, and one of his wife, Queen Camilla, will go on display in London's National Gallery for a month before being moved to Buckingham Palace, their permanent home, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Tuesday. Charles, 76, who was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer early last year some 10 months after his coronation, has been sitting for the portrait while he undergoes treatment. The king and queen commissioned the paintings shortly after the coronation ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey, choosing different artists. Charles was painted by Peter Kuhfeld, while Camilla selected Paul Benney, Buckingham Palace said. "I have tried to produce a painting that is both human and regal, continuing the tradition of royal portraiture," Kuhfeld said in a statement of the image of the king whose backdrop is the Throne Room in St James's Palace. Camilla is seen wearing her Coronation Dress of ivory coloured silk, next to a different crown. Benney said he wanted to acknowledge the historic nature of the coronation while also showing "the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role". Historically, the paintings were used as a show of power. The earliest example in the royal collection is the state portrait of James I of England, James VI of Scotland, from 1620.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
King Charles and Queen Camilla unveil new Coronation portraits
The King and Queen unveiled their official Coronation State Portraits at the National Gallery on Tuesday. The portraits were commissioned to mark the second anniversary of Their Majesties' Coronation in 2023. The recently completed works were painted by two different artists - Peter Kuhfeld and Paul S. Benney - both of whom are known to King Charles II and Queen Camilla already, having previously contributed to other royal commissions. The new portraits will be on display in the Central Room until June 5 before moving to their permanent home in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
King and Queen's official Coronation portraits revealed
The King and Queen have unveiled their new Coronation state portraits in the National Gallery. The King's portrait has been created by Peter Kuhfeld, and the Queen's by Paul S Benney. They depict the monarch and his consort in their Robes of State, alongside their crowns. Both have been seen by the public for the first time at the National Gallery, at an event marking its 200th anniversary. It is believed that it is also the first time that the King and Queen have seen the completed portraits. Queen Camilla said of her portrait: 'I just love it', while the King praised the 'wonderful composition' of his. The King, a keen patron of the arts and architecture who nevertheless once famously described an extension of the gallery as a 'monstrous carbuncle', also unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of a two-year building project and the re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing. The King and Queen both attended the event, at which John Booth, chairman of the National, delivered a short speech of welcome before inviting Their Majesties to unveil their new portraits. They were greeted inside the Sainsbury Wing by a fanfare from the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry Band, echoing the welcome that Queen Elizabeth II received when she opened the original Sainsbury Wing in 1991. Sir Gabriele Finaldi, director, and John Booth, chairman, will later introduce the King and Queen to architect Annabelle Selldorf, and some of the project, building and design team. They will view the new Roden Centre for Creative Learning and the new restaurant by Giorgio and Plaxy Locatelli. They will also be given a short tour of the gallery to see some of the works of art on loan from the Royal Collection in the redisplay, C C Land: The Wonder of Art, that opens on May 10. It includes Andrea Mantegna's painting series called The Triumphs of Caesar. Peter Kuhfeld, who painted the King, was granted five sittings over a year-and-a-half, and said he wanted to paint him as 'both human and regal'. The crown, he said, had its 'own sittings', with the King keen to discuss 'certain aspects' of the work. Paul Benney, who painted the Queen, said he had hoped to capture 'humanity and empathy', having 'hours of fascinating and sometimes hilarious conversation' with her as he worked. Kuhfeld was first commissioned by the King to paint Prince William and Prince Harry when they were aged five and three, and has since travelled overseas with His Majesty as an official tour artist. 'I have tried to produce a painting that is both human and regal, continuing the tradition of royal portraiture,' he said. 'His Majesty gave of his time with his usual graciousness and attention to detail, and we discussed certain aspects of the painting. 'He gave me five sittings in total, not including the painting of the Imperial State Crown. The State Crown had its own sittings!' The commission was kept a secret, only briefly shared with the artist's granddaughter when she accidentally spotted the painting in his studio. 'I usually start with drawings to develop my ideas and then move on to several oil studies to work out problems of composition,' said Kuhfeld. 'During this time, nobody was allowed in my studio while I was working, but one evening my eldest granddaughter forgot, when coming to tell me supper was ready; she burst through the door and came to a standstill and exclaimed, 'Oh! It's the King!'' Benney said it had been an 'honour, privilege and total pleasure' to undertake the first official portrait of her since the Coronation. 'It is with some regret that the sittings for this important commission have come to an end,' he added. 'After nearly a year of being installed in a temporary studio at Clarence House, I have deep and abiding memories of many hours of fascinating and sometimes hilarious conversation with Her Majesty on countless varied subjects. 'I shall miss the quiet and relaxed atmosphere while I was working there, even when Their Majesties were engaged elsewhere. 'My guiding principles in this commission were to both acknowledge the grand and historic nature of the Coronation iconography with all the equipage of the Monarchy and at the same time reveal the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role.' After being on display at the National Gallery, of which the King is royal patron, the paintings will move to a permanent home in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, where they can be seen by tourists during the annual Summer Opening. The tradition of state portraits dates back to the Coronation of James VI in 1620. Following royal custom, the portrait of the King includes the Imperial State Crown, placed on a table to one side. He is wearing his Robe of State and naval uniform 'Number 1 Ceremonial Day Dress' with medals and decorations. The Queen's portrait includes Queen Camilla's Crown, formerly known as Queen Mary's Crown. She wears her Coronation Dress, which was designed by Bruce Oldfield. The new portraits were unveiled shortly after a new collection of artworks commemorating the Coronation. Commissioned by the King, other paintings and monochrome images show the Gold State Coach procession, heralds waiting to take part in events and the King and Queen during the Westminster Abbey coronation. The King followed a long-held tradition and commissioned five artists to capture significant events from the coronation weekend, with four of the creatives being former students from his Royal Drawing School. The Coronation was held on May 6 2023, and the King saw the finished pieces, now part of the Royal Collection, last September during a presentation at his Clarence House home.
