Episode 7: Ralph Heimans
Broadcast: 11 November 2021
This week we meet portrait artist Ralph Heimans as the RAD prepares to celebrate a landmark in its 100-year history- a move to a new purpose-built headquarters- with a brand new portrait competition. The competition will invite artists of all abilities to create a portrait of world-famous ballerina and founding President of the RAD Dame Adeline Genée. Ralph sits on the judging panel of this competition and will be responsible for selecting the new commission, which will hang pride of place for all to enjoy in the new building when it formally opens in 2022.
Known for high-profile commissions of royalty, how would Ralph approach the portrait of a dancer? And what’s the point of portraiture in this selfie-ridden age? Join us for this portrait of the artist.
Ralph Heimans
London-based Australian artist Ralph Heimans is one of today’s leading portrait artists. His official portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth, produced for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, hangs in Westminster Abbey, while his portraits of the Duke of Edinburgh (2017) and Prince of Wales (2018) are in the Royal Collection. In 2018, the National Portrait Gallery of Denmark held a mid-career retrospective, including portraits of artists like Dame Judi Dench, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Margaret Atwood. Ralph’s large-scale portraits are renowned for innovative compositions that offer engaging narratives about his subjects and their life stories. His works are held in major international collections and in 2014 he became a Member of the Order of Australia.
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