Andre Durand

Who is Andre Durand?

André Durand is a painter working in the European Hermetic tradition. He is influenced by artists such as Rubens, Titian, Michelangelo and Velázquez.

Although Durand is perhaps best known for his allegorical portraits, such as Princess Diana as Fortuna, he achieved international artistic acclaim for his official portraits of John Paul II and the 14th Dalai Lama. Durand's portrait of the Irish novelist Elizabeth Bowen is one of the most popular portraits in London's National Portrait Gallery. In 1970 Durand painted a series of pictures inspired by the dancers of the Royal Ballet. It is nevertheless Durand's extraordinary mythological narratives that demonstrate his profound understanding of the myths and rituals of both Classical and Christian traditions. These are an ever-present undercurrent of his work.

In 2000, while he was artist in residence at Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, his convictions led Durand to found a new art movement, Neomodernism.

From May to October 2006, a major exhibition of paintings, Durand Wholly Pictures, was displayed in Sussex cathedrals and churches.