Queen grants Rolf royal portrait
Sacha
birthday celebrations.
She will have a formal sitting with the Australian entertainer for a Rolf on
Art special for BBC One. Harris said he was "thrilled to bits".
When the BBC put the idea to Buckingham Palace, they were told the Queen
would be delighted to take part.
She will celebrate her 80th birthday next April and the show will go out
later this year or in early 2006.
More than 120 official portraits of the Queen have been painted during her
life.
Harris said his oil painting would be "impressionistic" rather than
"photographic".
He hoped it would also be "representational of the way the Queen looks and
her obvious charm and friendly quality, rather than the very formal", he
added.
"I want to get the real person rather than the state image," said Harris,
who has been made an MBE and OBE.
BBC One controller Peter Fincham said the programme would be "a unique
television event".
"It's a huge coup for the BBC to be able to show Rolf painting such a great
supporter of the arts, the Queen," he said.
"We're delighted that permission has been granted - it's a painting everyone
will want to see."
Rolf on Art began in 2001, breaking the record for the highest audience for
a visual arts programme. There have been four series so far.
Some have praised the show for making art accessible but it has been
criticised by others who say it is a sign that the BBC has "dumbed down" its
arts coverage.
Harris, who trained as a fine artist, has also fronted shows including
Animal Hospital, Cartoon Time and Rolf's Cartoon Club.
He became a household name in the 1960s after successful forays into the pop
charts with songs including Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Sun Arise and Two
Little Boys.
--
Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)
Jean Sue Libkind
Should be an interesting show. I hope it's on BBC America.
js
rc
Jean Sue Libkind wrote:
>
> Should be an interesting show. I hope it's on BBC America.
>
> js
It should be, but I have more luck getting British programs through the
Canadian channel.
RC
Sacha
1116035663.2...@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "rc"
<rclo...@aol.com> wrote:
Did any of Rolf's other shows get to USA?
Susan Cohen
"Sacha" <sa...@weedsgarden506.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:BEAAD8A2.14740%sa...@weedsgarden506.fsnet.co.uk...
>
> Harris said his oil painting would be "impressionistic" rather than
> "photographic".
> He hoped it would also be "representational of the way the Queen looks and
> her obvious charm and friendly quality, rather than the very formal", he
> added.
> "I want to get the real person rather than the state image," said Harris,
> who has been made an MBE and OBE.
Uh-oh....
SusanC
Sacha
<flav...@verizon.net> wrote:
Well, at least HM will get some laughs out of having this portrait done, I
hope!