ONE of the pre-eminent artists of his generation will be at Gallery 21 in Salisbury on Saturday to unveil his latest collection called Money, Sex and Power.
Darren Baker is celebrated for his portrait of the Queen in 2011 and is described as a hyper-realism artist with his works often selling at auction for up to £100,000.
Now art fans will be offered the opportunity to have a meet and greet the artist for free at a champagne reception hosted at Gallery 21.
For most people outside the art world Baker remains fairly unknown, something he doesn't mind.
He said: “Art isn't really very mainstream but I get the best of both worlds, I get a lot of attention from the collectors without the full glare of the media.”
Baker has not only painted the Queen but a whole host of celebrities including Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Jonny Wilkinson and Lewis Hamilton but he says that the person he enjoyed painting the most was Alex Ferguson. He added: “I am a big Manchester United fan so to spend some time with him was really great experience.
“But also painting John Paul II was a privilege and to be in the Sistine Chapel seeing the work of all the great artists such as Michelangelo was incredible.”
His new collection, which will be on display in Salisbury from now until Tuesday, has been a year in the making and will be Baker's first major UK tour in two years.
It references various themes from the history of western art but at the centre of it is the subject of money, sex and power.
The owner of Gallery 21 Jason Jennings-Bramly said: “It is an honour to be able to host to be able to host an artist of the quality of Darren Baker and very exciting for Salisbury.
“It will be a very, very rare opportunity for members of the public to be able to meet one of the finest artists of his generation.”
The champagne reception is from 5pm to 7pm and is free to attend but members of the public are being asked to contact the gallery on 01722 324000, salisbury@gallery21.co.uk or drop in to the gallery to be added on the guest list so that the gallery can cater for numbers.
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