All royalties, a minimum of 2.50 from the sale of each book, will be paid to NHS Charities Together (registered charity no. 1186569) to fund vital projects.
When the UK went into lockdown in March 2020 to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, artist Tom Croft offered to paint an NHS key worker's portrait for free. Unsure how to help and offer his support, he wanted to capture and record the bravery and heroism of frontline workers who were risking their physical and mental health for our wellbeing. Tom suggested that other artists might want to do the same. He made his offer via video message on Instagram and was immediately contacted by Harriet Durkin, a nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, who had contracted Covid-19 and, now recovered, was about to return to the frontline. Tom's portrait of Harriet, wearing PPE, was the first in what became a global art project. The response to the initiative was staggering and Tom personally paired up 500 artists and NHS workers in the first two weeks. When numbers reached the thousands, Tom set up a traffic light system so that artists and frontline workers could match themselves. Portraits in all mediums followed, from oils to pencil, sculpture to ceramic, mosaic to mural.
This book presents a selection of these remarkable images. Some are by leading artists such as Alastair Adams and Mary Jane Ansell, and they are showcased here as both a celebration and a remembrance, in physical form, of the dedication of our NHS key workers.
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I just couldn't imagine what it must be like to have to put on your PPE and head into the frontline of the pandemic, so I wanted to try and thank NHS workers in some small way. We are indebted to them, so to be able to commemorate, celebrate and record their experiences through portraiture felt fitting. This collection will stand as a permanent record of their bravery in a time of national crisis.' Tom Croft
Alade, Adebanji: - Adebanji Alade is vice president of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters and an art TV presenter (BBC) on The One Show
Croft, Tom: -
TOM CROFT is a portrait painter, working in oils from his studio in Oxford. He has produced paintings for a wide range of clients, from Manchester United Football Club to Oxford colleges and private commissions. Notable portraits include the first female bishop Libby Lane, author Mark Haddon, former home secretary Jacqui Smith, BBC arts editor Will Gompertz, Radiohead bass player Colin Greenwood and footballers Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. Tom appeared on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. He opens his studio to the public during Oxfordshire Artweeks each year and is a member of the Oxford Art Society and he is also a member of the Contemporary British Portrait Painters collective (CBPP), a group of some of the best portrait artists working in Britain today.
In March 2020 Tom started #portraitsfornhsheroes by offering a free portrait to the first NHS key worker to contact him on Instagram. He then encouraged other portrait artists to do the same and the initiative grew into a global project. There is now an online exhibition of the NHS portraits, in association with Google Arts and Culture and the charity Paintings in Hospitals.
Down, Jim: - Dr Jim Down is a consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care at UCLH
Rosen, Michael: - Michael Rosen is a hugely bestselling author of picture books and poetry. Michael frequently appears on radio and gives talks and lectures on children's literature. Michael was the Children's Laureate for 2007-2009 and the winner of the Eleanor Farjeon Award. He lives in London.
