Andrew Vicari was born on April 20, 1938,in Port Talbot, Wales, and died on October 3, 2016.

He was a Welsh painter working in France

Andrew has established a career painting portraits of the rich and famous.

He was not known largely in his own country, as of 2004 Vicari was Britain’s richest living painter.

His parents were Italian.

Vicari was evacuated to Aberdare during World War II.

Later, Vicari attended Neath Grammar School for Boys.

Vicari won the Gold Medal for paintings at the Wales National Eisteddfod, when he was only 12.

From 1951 to 1953, Vicari studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art at University College, London (UCL) with Lucian Freud as a teacher.

When he graduated, Vicari started working in London as a portrait painter.

Eschewing modern trends, he has remained a figurative artist working in oil.

Vicari’s work is appreciated worldwide, especially in the Middle East where three museums are solely dedicated to his work.

During 1974 Vicari was appointed as the official painter to the King and Government of Saudi Arabia.

During the following decades he painted many portraits of the Saudi royal family as well as scenes of Riyadh and Bedouin life.

Which was largely due to this patronage that Vicari owes his financial success.

In 2001 he sold a collection of 125 paintings of the First Gulf War to Prince Khaled for £17 million.

Vicari lived and worked at his studio outside Nice, France, although he also owned apartments in Riyadh and Monte Carlo.

During 2006 his fortune was valued at £92 million by the Sunday Times Rich List.

But, in October 2014 it was reported Vicari had filed for bankruptcy and had been in poor health.

He died at Morriston Hospital, Swansea.

Andrew Vicari passed away at 84 years old.