Prince Charles (Bryan Organ portrait)

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Prince Charles
Prince Charles (Bryan Organ portrait).jpg
Artist Bryan Organ
Year1980
TypePortrait
Medium Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions177.8 cm× 178.2 cm(70.0 in× 70.2 in)
Location National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince Charles, [1] later retitled King Charles III, is a 1980 painting of Charles III when Prince of Wales, by the British artist Bryan Organ. It was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London. It is the first portrait painting of Charles to enter the NPG. [2] Organ would later produce portraits of Charles's first wife Diana, Princess of Wales, and his father Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. [2] [3]

Description

The idea for the portrait was first put forward in September 1979 and Prince Charles met with Bryan Organ in November of the same year. [4] Organ had previously painted a portrait of the subject's aunt, Princess Margaret, in 1970 which had received mixed reviews. [4] [5] The portrait of was officially commissioned by the trustees of the National Portrait Gallery in 1980. This was the inaugural work in the Gallery's programme of commissioning portraits and is the first painted portrait of the Prince to enter the National Portrait Gallery. [6] The modern-style portrait depicts Charles in a relaxed pose sat a blue wooden chair and in his polo clothes, including green trousers, knee high black boots and a blue sweatshirt over a white collared shirt. [5] [7] The Union Jack can be seen flying at the top behind a green fence. [5] [7] In at least one sketch that was done before work on the portrait began, Organ depicts Charles with a slight smile which is missing from the finished painting. [3]

References

  1. ↑ "Prince Charles". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Charles III (b.1948), when Prince Charles". Art UK. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Bryan Organ - Charles, Prince of Wales (1948-), 1980". Philip Mould Picture Archive. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Item ITN/5/8/296 - Prince Charles portrait by Bryan Organ". University of Gloucestershire Special Collections and Archives. 11 February 1981. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Emily, Olivia (24 July 2025). "5 Artists Who Have Painted King Charles III". Country & Town House. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "King Charles III". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 Iorizzo, Ellie (28 April 2023). "The royal family has been captured in art for generations". The Independent. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
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