Charles Willmott

Charles sadly passed away in 2023 after an illustrious career in the figurative & dance art world, our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Born in Shakespeare Country

Charles Willmott was born in 1943 in the medieval market town of Stratford-Upon-Avon - Shakespeare Country! The son of Hague Willmott, himself a metal crafter and artist, the apple didn’t fall far from the creative tree.

Love Of Far East Culture

Painting and creating since the early 1960s, in the 1980s he acquired a passion for the Far East and every facet of their culture. In 1991, his first one-man show was staged at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London and was rather unique, in that it featured Japan’s national sport, Sumo!

Like his contemporary also famous in the world of art and dance, Robert Heindel, Charles was highly collected in Japan and also had many links to the same dance companies!

Royal Ballet & Royal Shakespeare Company Connections

Charles has worked closely with the Royal Shakespeare Company, painting a number of productions including Tim Albery's Macbeth and Michael Attenborough's The Herbal Bed.

He had a close & enduring relationship with The Royal Ballet and has liaised extensively with leading dancers including Miyako Yoshida and Darcey Bussell, creating beautiful paintings of them.

In 2000, this commitment to capturing elements of stage performance was recognised and was made a finalist in the prestigious Garrick/Milne Prize, an award & cash prize given biennially to an artist, supporting the creation of theatre painting and portrait until 2015.

A passionate advocate for the theatre, some of his best selling later limited editions feature tributes to John Kander's most famous musical, with titles: ‘Cabaret’ and ‘All That Jazz.’

Painting Style & Training

In his own words:

‘Painting is a pictorial language with an extensive vocabulary. To me, the most important words are colour and form and the interplay between the two, creating balance and proportion'