‘A Brush with Brilliance’
BRIGHT Cancer Care hosted ‘A Brush with Brilliance: An Evening with David Henty’ the world’s best copyist artist, at Fetcham Park near Leatherhead, on Thursday, 16th May 2024, to raise money for specialist gastrointestinal (GI) cancer research and treatment at the Royal Surrey Hospital’s Cancer Centre.
David Henty is known internationally for his meticulously and lovingly recreated replicas of history’s most iconic artists. His work has fooled scientists and art critics, being practically indiscernible from originals of artworks by Pablo Picasso, LS Lowry, Caravaggio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Jean Michel Basquiat, John Singer Sargent, to name just a few.
During the evening at the Grade II* listed Fetcham Park, David shared his fascinating journey to becoming a self-taught master copyist, where a selection of his work was also displayed. It was during a short stint in HM Prison in the mid-1990s, David became seduced by the stories of the artists he studied. Fascinated by their technical genius, he taught himself the art of copying and flawless reproduction through rigorous preparation and a wholly immersive research process. Wherever possible, even sourcing the same materials, pigments, brushes, canvases, and boards, staying true to the period.
With a growing gallery presence and a list of private collectors, David’s work is in high demand. Recent press attention from the Sunday Telegraph and appearances on Sky News and BBC Radio 4 show a mounting interest in his artwork and a renewed appreciation for this growing and respected genre.
‘A Brush with Brilliance: An Evening with David Henty’ was a very successful evening for the charity and we hope to have the pleasure of holding this event once again in 2025.
