Metro-mayor Jarvis sits for painter’s ‘wonderful’ hometown art display
NEWLY ELECTED Sheffield City Mayor Dan Jarvis says it is a “privilege” to be featured in a exhibition of portraits by an artist who specialises in working with live subjects.
Mr Jarvis, who was elected as Yorkshire’s first metro-mayor last month, sat for Richard Kitson in December and January for his display at the Cooper Gallery
in Barnsley. Richard Kitson Portraits: A Decade of Painting from Life features 18 portraits and a selection of drawings from 2008 to the present day.
The Barnsley-born artist, working directly from sitters, rather than the more popular current method of photographs, recently appeared on Sky Arts, Portrait Artist of the Year 2018. He has also painted a portrait of Paralympic gold medallist Kadeena Cox over a four-hour period.
Mr Jarvis, who is also a Barnsley MP, said: “I really enjoyed sitting for Richard and it has been a pleasure to get to know him and a privilege to be part of his wonderful art collection.
“His exhibition is on display at the Cooper Gallery until June 13 and I would encourage people to go along and enjoy it.
“The Cooper Gallery is a real cultural asset for Barnsley and an excellent addition to South Yorkshire’s strong and vibrant cultural offer; something that as Mayor I will take every opportunity to support and promote.”
Mr Kitson said: “Dan was very generous with his time, especially given how busy he is. It was quite a privilege to get so much time to talk with him about his life and experiences, just as I would with any other sitter. Dan was very supportive from the start and entered into the spirit of my approach to painting portraits from life, which helped me create a more tangible likeness of him.”