The Art Newspaper

The UK artist Jonathan Yeo caused a splash recently with his rather rubicund portrayal of King Charles III which drew mixed responses (the portrait, unveiled 14 May, shows Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, bathed in red). Yeo has now turned his attention to another pillar of British society—the veteran natural history broadcaster David Attenborough. The work was unveiled on the BBC's The One Show (25 June). Yeo said he opted for an "ambiguous natural green background", as if the 98-year-old "might be emerging from one of the many habitats he has captured on film during his career”. In an Instagram post, Yeo adds that he will “no longer have an excuse to bask in his brilliant, charismatic and entertaining company”. Contributors on social media seem to like the depiction. “Thank you for capturing a national treasure’s true spirit,” wrote a fan on Instagram.