Paul Fitzgerald - Oil on Canvas - Portrait of a Terrier 1952

Paul Fitzgerald - Portrait of a Terrier Dog - Oil on Canvas - Signed and Dated 1951. Provenance: By family descent of the Late Sir Hugh and Lady Brassey. The frame is original although slightly distressed and could be repainted by purchaser if wished. Image 40 x 30 cm Paul Fitzgerald (1922-2017), an internationally renowned portrait artist — believed to have painted more famous people than any other Australian. Born in Hawthorn in 1922, Fitzgerald briefly followed in the footsteps of his father, respected newspaper journalist Frank Fitzgerald, but found his real passion was art. He studied under some of the greats of Australian art at the National Gallery School in Victoria during World War II, but his Army service truncated his studies and probably cost him the chance to become an official war artist. At war's end he took a boat to England where his international career in portrait painting quickly flourished. Such was Fitzgerald's amazing ability to quickly achieve a remarkable likeness of his sitter, it was said that he could almost "paint your portrait over the telephone". "He had the unique ability to capture not only the likeness but also the character and personality of his subjects, which is why he was often asked back to paint additional members of the family," Fitzgerald's son Fabian said. His portraits included world-famous figures, such as Pope John XXIII. Painted in 1963, Fitzgerald only had one sitting with the ailing Pontiff who died days later, meaning the work had to be completed posthumously. After a brief stint in Hollywood in the mid-1950s, painting the stars of the day including Glenn Ford and Vivien Leigh, Fitzgerald came back to Australia to marry Melbourne actress Mary Parker, who he had met and proposed to in London. He painted Queen Elizabeth on three occasions, Prince Philip twice, Prince Charles and a host of royalty. In 1997, Fitzgerald's work and career was recognised with an Order of Australia. He is represented in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Buckingham Palace and countless stately homes and institutions around the globe.