DAVID GRIFFITHS - PORTRAIT PAINTER
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DAVID GRIFFITHS, portrait painter, was born in Liverpool and brought up in north Wales. His artistic inheritance came from his Grandfather, also a portrait painter, whose portrait of Prime Minister W. E. Gladstone hung in Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery in 1889. He trained at The Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London, under the direction of Sir William Coldstream, Sir Ernst Gombrich and Sir Anthony Blunt. After graduating at The Slade, he soon established himself as one of the nation's foremost portrait painters. He has painted portraits of many of the most eminent figures in contemporary society. His subjects include royalty, ambassadors, archbishops and distinguished members of the government, industry, commerce, medicine and academic and legal professions. Among the well known portrait subjects who have sat for him are H.R.H. The Prince of Wales; William Farish, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.; Lord Tonypandy as Speaker of the House of Commons; Lord Bernard Weatherill as Speaker of The House of Commons; Rt. Hon. Lord Callaghan, former Prime Minister of the U.K.; Lord Elwyn Jones, former Lord Chancellor; Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos; Rt. Hon. Enoch Powell O.B.E.; The Most Reverend Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury; The Most Reverend Dr. Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales; Rt. Hon. Lord Hailsham; Archdruid James Nicholas; Archdruid Sir Cynan Evans Jones; Bryn Terfel; Sir Geraint Evans; Barry John and Sian Philllips.
The Midland Bank sponsored a major exhibition of his portrait work at The Ammanford Royal National Eisteddfod and in 2002 The National Library of Wales held a retrospective exhibition of his portraits. Recent News Portrait of Dafydd Wigley Unveiled at the National Library
The portrait will join other Griffiths portraits of eminent Welsh musicians Sir Geraint Evans, Osian Ellis and Bryn Terfel in the National Library collection. It will also join portraits of the previous three presidents of the Aberystwyth-based library. Dafydd Wigley revealed the portrait at a farewell event when he also handed over the Royal Charter of the library to his successor. The painting, which is painted in oils on a 40 x 30 inch-canvas, shows Lord Wigley in relaxed pose holding the third volume of his autobiography. The sittings took place over a six-month period in 2011. Lord Wigley was MP and then AM for Caernarfon from 1974 until 2003. He was leader of Plaid Cymru from 1991 to 2000. Last year, it was announced that he had been granted a peerage by the Queen and took his seat in the House of Lords as Baron Wigley of Caernarfon in January this year. He has been succeeded as president by Sir Deian Hopkin, a historian and former vice-chancellor of London South Bank University. The portrait will hang in the Library's Council Chamber, alongside the other presidential portraits. The library can be contacted on 01970 632800. There are tours of the library every week. To book call 01970 632548. |
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