Jorde HerreraSure, any artist can top the charts, but how many can say they’ve got a painting of themselves hanging in Britain’s National Portrait Gallery? Ed Sheeran, for one.
A four-foot-square painting of Ed by artist Colin Davidson is now on display at the prestigious gallery, which also boasts portraits of music legends like Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and the late David Bowie.
Davidson painted Ed after meeting Ed’s dad, an art historian, who asked if he would paint his son. Ed then sat for Davidson for three hours in August of 2015. During that time, Davidson, who has also painted Brad Pitt, the Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Kenneth Branagh, made twenty drawings, took photos, and then created the artwork.
“When painting a portrait I am looking for the moment when the person is almost unaware of me being there and I feel I got it with Ed,” Davidson says in a statement. “I deliberately didn’t want Ed to perform and that was odd for him. But there is a youthful aspect to the portrait but also something experienced beyond his years.”
Davidson adds, “It has been a true privilege to get to know Ed and his family. It is my hope that this new portrait offers an alternative insight, one which allows the viewer to glimpse the source of Ed’s unique creativity.”
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