David Cobley RP NEAC

David has been drawing and painting since early childhood. He trained at Northampton and Liverpool Schools of Art before spending almost 10 years studying and working in Japan.

In 1989 he was shortlisted for the BP Portrait Award and elected a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1997, serving as its Honorary Secretary for four years. His portrait of Ken Dodd OBE was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery in 2005, and in 2010 he was commissioned to paint the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sir Martin Evans for the Gallery’s permanent collection. In 2019 the BBC asked him to paint Sir David Attenborough as a celebration of his life in broadcasting.

He has had solo shows of his work in London and Bath, and works from a studio in Devizes.

Sir David Attenborough

David Cobley, member of the RP, has created an incredible portrait of Sir David Attenborough. The Study of his painting for the BBC, is featured within the exhibition. The BBC approached Annabel Elton, head of commissions at the RP, who advised them and helpfully guided them through a selection process, until they found the ideal artist to work with.

"As soon as I heard the BBC was thinking of asking me to carry out the commission, I did everything I could to get it. I dropped what I was doing to trawl through hundreds of photos and videos of him online, looking for something that showed him communicating his knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world. By the following morning I was able to send Annabel a couple of mockups to show the BBC what I thought might work".

Read more about the commission here