Born in Perth, Western Australia, Rolf has always loved art; Even before he went to Primary School, whenever anyone asked him “What are you going to be when you grow up?” his immediate response was “An artist!”. |
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At the age of 22, Rolf set off on what was supposed to be a year’s study leave, financing himself through four exhibitions of paintings he’d held over four years in Perth. Upon arriving in London he immediately enrolled at the City & Guilds Art School, intending to follow in the footsteps of his Grandfather, Welsh portrait painter George F. Harris. After a chance meeting with the Australian impressionist painter ‘Bill’ Hayward Veal, he attended an art course run by Veal and soon became his protégé. In the mid 1950’s, for two years running, Rolf had paintings accepted and hung in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. |
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Painting continued to be a private passion of his, but it was for his television and stage performances that Rolf became a household name through the fifties and sixties and right up to the present day. |
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However, in the last twenty years Rolf has devoted more time to painting and has had a number of one-man shows, including a 'Rolf on Art' exhibition at the National Gallery in London, as well as receiving, in September 2000, an honorary membership of the Royal Society of British Artists. |
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In 2005 the BBC announced that, to celebrate the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll, Rolf was to paint, in oil, a portrait of the Queen for a BBC One programme. The finished portrait was unveiled at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace and was on display there until June 2006. The programme, ‘The Queen, by Rolf’ was screened on BBC One on 1st January 2006. |
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The portrait continued to be exhibited at Buckingham Palace from the Summer Opening until November and then transferred to The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, until January 2007 after which it went on tour at public galleries throughout that year. |
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The Royal Australian Mint commissioned Rolf to design the first coin in the new 2007 Silver Kangaroo Collector's coin series and Rolf has designed and painted the official Children In Need Christmas card for the last three years. |
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Rolf has been awarded the CBE, MBE and the OBE, is a member of the Order of Australia and has won many awards for his work in the entertainment industry. |
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