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Overview
Gladwell Patterson have long championed David’s artistic and charitable work, across the three generations of the Fuller family. Together with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the gallery held the first retrospective exhibition of David’s work since his death in January 2019.
David Shepherd stands as one of the most influential wildlife painters of the past century, an artist whose deep affinity for the natural world shaped a career of remarkable breadth and significance. His paintings, at once commanding and tender, reflect a lifelong bond with the animals of Africa, a connection forged in Kenya in 1960, where a commission for the RAF set him on an artistic path that would define his life’s work. It was there, confronted by the beauty of the wild and the brutality of its threats, that David’s vocation as both artist and conservationist took root.
The power of his paintings lies not only in their technical mastery: the confident sweep of his brush, careful orchestration of tone and balance between photorealism and impressionist breadth. Elephants emerge with monumental grace, tigers with a quiet, unstoppable presence; even the vast African landscapes serve not as backdrop but as a stage upon which each animal’s dignity is affirmed. What resonates most is the empathy that animates every canvas, a quality that reflects David’s unwavering belief in the value of the wildlife he devoted his career to protecting.
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Works for sale
David Shepherd British, 1931-2017
Rhinos and Termites, 1966Oil on Canvas59.5 x 90 cms / 23½ x 35½ inchesSigned 'David Shepherd' (lower right)Description
David Shepherd is considered to be one of the finest wildlife artists of the last one hundred years. David’s distinctive style stems from a personal attachment with the animals of Kenya. As a boy, he dreamt of becoming a game warden to no avail, and was fortunate when his early artistic career as an aviation artist led to a commission from the RAF in 1960. On consignment in Kenya, inspired by the animals that he encountered, he painted his first wildlife painting which would change the course of his career; a rhinoceros chasing a Twin Pioneer aeroplane, capturing two of his great passions. It was also on this time trip in Kenya that David became passionate conservationist overnight when he saw 255 zebra poisoned to death by poachers. In the following years, David’s popularity grew and he quickly became the celebrated artist and conservationist for which he is remembered today. Throughout his career David was inspired to protect the elephants, tigers and other animals that he depicted with such delight. His subjects were painted with dignity and grandeur and his compositions allowed them to take centre stage amongst the breath taking scenery of his beloved Africa.
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