The Art Fund's Council who combine brilliance, fame and love of art
Our collective figurehead - a well-known group of people linked by a sincere belief in the work of The Art Fund - generously offering to place their talents and publicity value at our service.
- Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS
- Sir Anthony Caro OM CBE
- Anthony d'Offay
- Sir Nicholas Goodison FBA FSA
- Sir Joseph Hotung
- Anish Kapoor CBE
- Professor Phillip King CBE PRA
- Joanna Lumley OBE FRGS
- Sir Denis Mahon CH CBE FBA
- Ben Okri OBE FRSL
- Michael Palin CBE
- Dame Diana Rigg DBE
- Bridget Riley CH CBE
- Jon Snow
- Robert Tear CBE
Sir David Attenborough CH, CVO, CBE, FRS
Naturalist, broadcaster and writer. Positions include: Controller, BBC2, 1965–8; Director of Programmes BBC TV, 1969–72. Trusteeships include: World Wildlife Fund UK, 1965–9, 1972–82, 1984–90; British Museum, 1980–; National Art Collections Fund, 1996–2001. Television programmes and associated books include: The Tribal Eye, 1976; Life on Earth, 1979; The Living Planet, 1984; The Life of Mammals, 2002.
Sir Anthony Caro, CBE, OM
Sculptor. Exhibitions include: retrospective, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1975; Sculpture into Architecture, Tate Gallery, 1991; Sculpture from Painting, National Gallery, 1998; The Last Judgement, Venice Biennale, 1999. Co-designer of the Millennium Bridge, London, 2000. Awards include: Lifetime Achievement Award for Sculpture, 1997.
Anthony d'Offay
Director, Anthony d’Offay Gallery.
Sir Nicholas Goodison
Former Chairman, National Art Collections Fund, 1984–2002. Positions include: Chairman, Stock Exchange, 1976–88; Chairman, TSB Group, 1989–95; Chairman, Courtauld Institute of Art, 1982–2002; Chairman, Crafts Council, 1997–2005. Publications include: Ormolu: The Work of Matthew Boulton, 1974; These Fragments, 2005.
Sir Joseph Hotung
Chairman, Ho Hung Hing Estates Ltd. Positions include: Trustee, British Museum, 1994–; Director, HSBC Holdings plc, 1991–8; Chairman, Arts Development Council, Hong Kong, 1994–6; Judge, National Art Collections Fund Awards, 1993. Awards include: Mont Blanc de la Culture Award, Hong Kong, 1996.
Anish Kapoor
Artist. Exhibitions include: Hayward Gallery, 1998; Tate Gallery, 1990–1; Lisson Gallery, 2000; Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York, 2001. Prizes include: Premio Duemila, Venice Biennale, 1990; Winner, Turner Prize, 1999. Commissions include: Marsyas – Tate/Unilever Commission, Tate Modern, 2002.
Professor Phillip King CBE, PRA
Sculptor. Positions include: President, Royal Academy of Arts, 1999–; Professor Emeritus of Sculpture, Royal College of Art,1990–; Trustee, Tate Gallery, 1967–9; Trustee, National Portrait Gallery, 1999–. Exhibitions include: Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1968; Hayward Gallery, 1981; Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 1997.
Joanna Lumley OBE
Actress. Theatre, television and film appearances include: An Ideal Husband, Chichester Theatre, 1987; Absolutely Fabulous, 1992; James and the Giant Peach, 1996; Sensitive Skin, 2005. Awards include: Best Comedy Actress, 1993; BAFTA, Best Comedy Performance, 1995. Publications include: Girl Friday, 1994; In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, 1997; No Room for Secrets, 2005.
Sir Denis Mahon CH CBE FBA
Art historian. Positions include: Trustee, National Gallery, 1957–64, 1966–73; Advisory Panel, The Art Fund, 1975–; Member, Accademio d’Onore, Clementine Academy, Bologna, 1964; Senior Fellow, RCA, 1988. Awards include: Benemeriti della Cultura, 1957; Archiginnasio d’Oro, City of Bologna, 1968; Serena Medal for Italian Studies, British Academy, 1972.
Ben Okri
Novelist and poet. Awards include: Booker Prize for Fiction, 1991; Commonwealth Writers Prize, 1987; Paris Review/Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, 1987. Novels, poetry and essay collections include: The Famished Road, 1991; A Way of Being Free, 1997; Mental Fight, 1999; In Arcadia, 2002.
Michael Palin CBE
Actor, broadcaster, writer and presenter. Television and film credits include: Monty Python’s Flying Circus, 1969; Life of Brian, 1978; The Missionary, 1983; Michael Palin and the Ladies who Loved Matisse, 2003. Television and associated books include: Around the World in 80 Days, 1989; Pole to Pole, 1992; Himalaya, 2004. Awards include: British Comedy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2002.
Dame Diana Rigg
Actress. Theatre, television and film appearances include: Medea, Almeida, 1992; The Avengers, 1965–7; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969; King Lear, 1983; Bleak House, 1985. Awards include: Plays and Players Award, Best Actress, 1975, 1979; Evening Standard Drama Award, Best Actress, 1993; Emmy Award, Best Supporting Actress, 1997.
Bridget Riley CH CBE
Artist. Positions include: Trustee, National Gallery, 1981–88. Exhibitions include: Hayward Gallery, 1971, 1992; Tate Britain, 2003; Venice Biennale, 2003. Awards include: AICA Critics prize, 1963; Ohara Museum Prize, Tokyo, 1972; Gold Medal, Grafik Biennale, Norway, 1980.
Jon Snow
Television journalist and Presenter of Channel 4 News. Positions include Trustee, Tate, 1999–; Trustee, National Gallery, 1999–. Awards include: Royal Television Society News Feature Award, 1979; RTS TV Journalist of the Year Award, 1980; Valiant for Truth Media Award, 1981; RTS Best Male Presenter, 1995. Publications include: Shooting History, 2005.
Robert Tear CBE
Tenor and conductor. Positions include: Artistic Director of the Vocal Faculty, London Royal Schools of Music, 1992–4; Honorary Fellow, King’s College, Cambridge. Performances include: Billy Budd, 1997; The Bartered Bride, 1998; Britten Song Cycles, 2004; Die Fledermaus, 2005. Recordings include: Benjamin Britten, War Requiem, 1984; Gustav Mahler, Das Klagende Lied, 1997.
