The portrait shows Michael Eavis in front of the main stage of his festival, the Pyramid. The painting was unveiled during this year’s 50th Glastonbury Festival on June 25 – Peter Blake’s 90th birthday. Along with the artist and the model, British bands participated in the event Pulp leader Jarvis Coker. The new painting will be publicly visible from 2023, when the National Portrait Gallery opens its doors after the ambitious transformation project Inspirational people completion.
Music lover Sir Peter Blake is one of Britain’s greatest artists. The groups brought him fame The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) cover by the artist with Jen Howorth. Peter Blake is a painter, sculptor, draftsman and graphic artist who combines elements of popular culture in his works. “I went to the first Glastonbury in 1970 and have loved it ever since, so I was delighted when the National Portrait Gallery commissioned me to paint a portrait of Michael Eaves. After receiving the commission, we took Michael to a fancy West End restaurant for lunch. He arrived in denim shorts, which had already become a sign of his style, and everyone in the restaurant was down to earth. I realized that this is exactly how Michael should be captured in a portrait. I hope that the painting reflects his free spirit, full of energy and love of life,” says the artist.
Michael Eavis was born in 1935 and grew up in the Pilton village of Worthy Farm in Somerset. He had enlisted in the British merchant navy, but returned to Pilton at the age of 19 after his father’s death to work on the family farm. In 1970, sixteen years after Michael Eavis had inherited a 150-acre dairy farm and 60 cows, he staged the first Glastonbury festival on the site, inspired by the band Led Zeppelin performance at the festival Shepton Mallet Blues. The first festival was attended by 1,500 fans, now it gathers around 200,000 fans annually. This is one of the most famous and largest music and performing arts festivals in the world. Currently, the active management of the festival has been taken over by the daughter of Michael Eavis, Emily Eavis. “Delighted to be painted by my old friend Peter. A rare honor for a Somerset dairyman!” emphasizes Michael Eavis.
–
