Christian Furr was born in 1966 in Heswall, Wirral, Cheshire. He studied foundation at Wirral Metropolitan College, Wallasey, and graduated with first-class honours in fine art from De Montfort University, Leicestershire..

Furr has always embraced a wide variety of styles and subjects, and has a broad canon of work. When looking at Furr’s oeuvre as a whole, it becomes apparent that certain themes and genres reappear throughout his life. The variety in his work is driven by curiosity, passion and interest in whatever it is that he turns his attention to. This is because he never stands still but is constantly reinventing his art, trying out new forms and ideas usually within the figurative framework. The range and choice of his works always reflect his unique sensibility as a artist, which can be autobiographical and often combines humour and inventiveness with his interest in classicism. Sometimes this exploratory drive has led to collaborations and subsequent collections with other artists. His taste for experimentation and risk-taking align with his belief in the uncompromising pursuit of creative freedom. Pushing on to the next idea, the next painting or series in whatever that medium is, has meant his work could be overlooked but he is now unanimously regarded as one of Britain’s finest painters, recently being described by FT Weekend in 2025 as ‘Really fine paintings’ and the Old Vic as a ‘A True Master’. His multi faceted work continues to receive considerable national and specialist press coverage.

He won an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Scholarship, 1991, exhibited at Windsor & Newton Young Artist’s Award, ROI, 1993, and Tricycle Gallery in 1993. Solo exhibitions included Duffer of St George, 1993, and Royal Over-Seas League, 1993 and 2001. Furr is a prolific mixed-show exhibitor, including Saatchi Gallery, National Portrait, Francis Kyle and Mall Galleries.

He has had several joint collections and exhibitions including with the Ivory Coast artist Aboudia (with recent sales at Sothebys New York), the photographer Gered Mankowitz (Iconic Images exhibition 2024) and the neon artist Chris Bracey.. His painting of the Serpentine hangs in the Dorchester lobby, London and his 4 x 3m faux tapestry “Arrival’ hangs at ‘Fysh’ at the Singapore Edition. In a career defining moment at the beginning of his career, he became the youngest artist to paint the Queen in 1995 after the Queen chose him to paint her portrait.

This catalogue of works, created during the artist’s lifetime, shows a collection, that, as diverse as it is, is always recognisably Furr’s. The paintings and portraits have a distinct colour palette, and the treatment, painterly, with an emphasis on form. All works are imbued with an imperceptible humour. We will see how themes and motifs reoccur, where Furr’s first ideas formulate and how they progress into full series of works that have evolved and changed over time into fully explored collections.