FORMER PRINCIPAL Geoff Ward said the new portrait of him, unveiled today beside the Ward Room near the Buttery, was “a portrait of a college at a moment of change, progress and optimism.”
Ward, who served between 2013 and 2021, gave his verdict on the painting by artist Ben Hughes this afternoon, after a short ceremony with invited guests.
Ward said: “It feels very strange to be looking at myself! One of the great things about Ben’s portrait is that it’s more than just me; it’s a portrait of a college with energy and vibrancy.
“It’s not an example of a moribund genre of the painting of departed heads of institutions that’s shrouded in glory and their academic robes.
“By contrast, this painting is an exercise in upbeat positive things, so I feel very good about all of this.”
Hughes, the artist, said that his style evolved from pop artists and he liked minimalist, graphic background imagery behind a very detailed main object, in this case the former Principal.
Hughes commented: “Geoff and myself wanted to create something which was almost like a welcome. The empty chair is like an invitation to come in and discuss whatever subject you want to.”
The objects on the mantlepiece have personal memories for Ward, including a replica of a sculpture by Gaudier-Brzeska that sits in Kettle’s Yard; and a bottle of wine with a jokey label made by the Charter Choir.
Also featured in the painting is the Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara, the New York poet, and a miniature copy of a New York street scene.
Ward added: “I would say that Ben has powerful intuitive as well as artistic gifts, and that he got to know me very well very fast.”
