Chas Fagan is an American artist and sculptor. He is known for painting oil portraits of all 45 U.S. Presidents (as of 2016), on commission from C-SPAN and the White House Historical Association.[1][2] He also painted the official canonization image of Mother Teresa on commission from the Knights of Columbus, basing his work on a photograph by Michael Collopy.[3] His other works include portraits, landscapes and still life, along with sculptures related to American historical figures.[4] His work was featured in the American Presidents: Life Portraits exhibition in 1999, and in other venues.
Biography
Chas Fagan was born in Ligonier, Pennsylvania in 1966.[5] He spent much of his early life in Belgium with his father, who worked as a diplomat.[3] He graduated Yale University with a degree in Russian and East European Studies. His earliest artistic works were political cartoons in a variety of publications. His career as a painter took off after his portrait of Ronald Reagan appeared on the cover of the conservative publication The Weekly Standard.
Fagan produced a monument of Captain James Jack and horse, who rode the Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Declaration of Independence in June 1775 to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Dedication of the monument called "The Spirit of Mecklenburg" was made with full colonial set and re-enactors on the 235th anniversary of the famous ride and took place nationally on "Good Morning, America" hosted by Cokie Roberts.[6] His bronze sculpture of Reagan received criticism from KCRW journalist Edward Goldman for its:
stiff pose and bland facial expression echoing thousands of similarly banal portraits.... With the art of portraiture out of fashion in the leading American art schools, the statue was commissioned from a second-rate, self-taught artist who only excels at the art of pleasing his less than demanding clientele.[7]
Today[when?] he lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He was appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts by President Trump, and replaced by President Biden.[8]
Works
- Ronald Reagan (2009), National Statuary Hall Collection, Washington, D.C.
- George H. W. Bush Monument (2004), Sesquicentennial Park, Houston, Texas[9]
References
- ^ "New Trump Portrait, First Post-Election, Joins C-SPAN Presidents Collection. C-SPAN Networks (2016)" (PDF). Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ Harding, Robert. "C-SPAN's 'American Presidents' exhibit coming to Destiny USA in Syracuse". Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ a b "How Charlotte artist captured Mother Teresa for official portrait in sainthood ceremony". Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "About".
- ^ "Chas Fagan – Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation". Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina". 19 March 2010.
- ^ "White House Reduced: Invasion of Bad Art – Art Talk". 5 June 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ Gunts, Edward. "The newest Commission of Fine Arts is sworn in, with Billie Tsien as its chair". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ "Houston readies tribute to ex-President Bush". Austin American-Statesman. November 15, 2004. Retrieved February 26, 2021.