Stephen Wiltshire Info Sheet

2, Leng Kee Road, #04-03A Thye Hong Centre Singapore 159086 Tel: 6475 9377 Fax: 6472 5440 the engagement specialists www.germs.sg Information on Stephen Wiltshire For over 30 years, the name Stephen Wiltshire has been synonymous with finely-detailed, vigorous pen and ink drawings of the world’s great cities. This young artist produces energetic street scenes and panoramas that are immediately recognisable to his fans and are much sought after by private and corporate collectors alike. Stephen’s drawings – often drawn from memory and at great speed – are sketched on the spot at street level, drawn from the top of skyscrapers or sometimes made after whistle-stop helicopter rides over the city. Today Stephen is well-known the world over. His talent has been recognised with an MBE for services to art; he has a thriving gallery in the heart of London and originals of his work fetch thousands of pounds. He regularly travels all over the world on private and public commissions, the most famous of which are his ten city panoramas drawn from memory. Drawing street life and modern architecture have been Stephen’s passions for as long as he can remember. His amazing talent is even more incredible considering that he was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. Stephen, who was born in London in 1974, was completely mute as a small child, and found it hard to relate to other people. At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School, London, where it soon became apparent that he communicated through the language of drawing. His teachers encouraged him to speak by temporarily taking away his art materials; eventually he uttered his first words – "paper" and “pencil” (just like Picasso) - but didn’t learn to speak fully until the age of nine. Drawing was Stephen’s passion and he was seldom to be found without pen and paper: animals, London buses, cityscapes and classic American cars were all sketched with increasing maturity as the years went by. Once the school started to enter his art into competitions, news of his prodigious talent began to spread. Early fans included the late Prime Minister Edward Heath who bought his drawing of Salisbury Cathedral, made when Stephen was just eight. But Stephen came to wider public attention when the BBC featured him in the programme, 'The Foolish Wise Ones' in 1987, when he was introduced by Sir Hugh Casson (a past president of the Royal Academy), as "the best child artist in Britain". After that, Stephen’s artistic career developed quickly, and his first book, Drawings, a volume of his early sketches prefaced by Casson, was published that year. Stephen’s reputation grew worldwide. His first visit to New York was a career highlight; he was completely captivated by the city’s atmosphere, streets, squares, skyscrapers, cars and its people, and to this day the resulting New York sketches are among his personal favourites. Visits to other cities - Paris, Edinburgh, Venice, Amsterdam, Leningrad and Moscow – quickly followed, with Stephen attracting awed crowds wherever he stopped to draw. A second BBC documentary in 2001 showed Stephen flying over London in a helicopter and subsequently completing a detailed and perfectly scaled aerial illustration within three hours. This masterful drawing of a four-square-mile area included 12 historic landmarks and 200 other structures, and 2, Leng Kee Road, #04-03A Thye Hong Centre Singapore 159086 Tel: 6475 9377 Fax: 6472 5440 the engagement specialists www.germs.sg is a perfect example of his natural artistry and astonishing eye for detail. By now, Stephen’s work was increasingly in demand all over the world. In 2005, he was commissioned to undertake vast panoramic drawings of ten world cities starting with a 10 metre long canvas representation of the Tokyo skyline. Stephen subsequently took on commissions from Hong Kong - where he produced a 10 metre long drawing of Victoria Harbour after just a 20 minute helicopter ride - Rome, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem, London and – his spiritual home - New York. Further trips followed to Sydney and Shanghai in 2010 and Brisbane in 2011. In 2006 Stephen was recognised for his services to the art world, when he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. That year was also memorable as Stephen and his family opened a permanent art gallery in London's historic Royal Opera Arcade. Today Stephen continues to amaze art lovers with his fresh, vibrant sketches of world cities, and wherever he goes, people are fascinated by his prodigious talent. Variously described by the media as ‘the leading architectural artist in the world’ and ‘the living testament to what can be achieved when potential is realised and developed early on’, Stephen enjoys accolades from all over the world. But perhaps he would enjoy most the description of one journalist who also noted his enduring love of music: “he is a rock star in the art world.” PRESS BRIEF A WORKING DAY Stephen Wiltshire’s working hours are: 10.00am to 5.00pm, with an hour break around 1:30pm. Wherever possible, interviews should be scheduled within these hours preferably not rushed (there is some flexibility on this, but ideally between 10.00am – 5.00pm). HANDLING MEDIA REQUESTS Agency is the point of contact with the gallery and we will clear with his sister Annette Wiltshire for any pre-interview briefings with journalists / researchers / producers. It is important that certain labels / terms are avoided in printed and recorded interviews as they do not reflect Stephen's self-perception, neither do they fit in his public profile. These are: “human camera”, “autistic artist”, “memory man”. Please do avoid relating the word “autism” or “autistic” with regards to Stephen's portrayal, as he views himself as an artist in his own right regardless of the condition. Drawing is very much part of Stephen’s day and he is comfortable to be interviewed / filmed whilst he is drawing. This works very well, as it is an environment in which he is familiar, so he is very relaxed and is able to refer to his work. Stephen is very relaxed when in front of a camera and confident when being filmed. He is comfortable to be interviewed no matter where, including in front of a studio audience. 2, Leng Kee Road, #04-03A Thye Hong Centre Singapore 159086 Tel: 6475 9377 Fax: 6472 5440 the engagement specialists www.germs.sg VERY IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE: For all broadcast interviews, and to get the best answers from Stephen, it is important that we share with his sister in advance the complete list of questions you would like to ask. Pre- recorded interviews are preferred to live interviews. STEPHEN’S INTERESTS Stephen is always happy to talk about his work and his gallery, which is located in the Royal Opera Arcade, Pall Mall, London. Stephen has travelled extensively - a good topic of discussion is the cities he has visited over the years and some of the amazing landscapes he has produced. Music and films are also key interests. He likes taking photos too. Stephen always has his iPhone with him – 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s music – rock ‘n’ roll, Motown, funk, soul, r ‘n’ b and pop. Stephen is also an accomplished pianist. Saturday Night Fever is on Stephen’s list of favourite films. Famous people Stephen has met include Dustin Hoffman, Michael Crawford, Beverley Knight and Prince Charles. Stephen’s favourite artist is American hyper-realist painter Richard Estes. Stephen loves American classic cars – particularly late 60's and early 70's vintage. MEDIA CREDITS Please could you include a credit for the Gallery website to run alongside any print interviews: www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk or “Stephen Wiltshire” abroad and “Stephen Wiltshire MBE” within UK. We will need to seek copy and headline approval. SMALL SKETCHES Stephen can also work on smaller, impromptu sketches as a part of recording or demonstration for audience. These may take from 5 mins up to half an hour to complete depending on dimensions and detail. This however, has to be pre-planned. KEY DATES 1974 April 24th, Stephen is born in London, England 1977 Stephen is diagnosed with autism 1979 Starts at Queensmill School, London 1981 Stephen becomes fascinated with sketching London buildings 2, Leng Kee Road, #04-03A Thye Hong Centre Singapore 159086 Tel: 6475 9377 Fax: 6472 5440 the engagement specialists www.germs.sg 1981 Wins various drawing competitions, including Cadbury's 1982 Stephen sells his first drawing – of Salisbury Cathedral - to the former Prime Minister Edward Heath 1982-3 Stephen learns to communicate through speech 1987 Stephen appears in the BBC programme ‘The Foolish Wise Ones’ about the so-called ‘savant syndrome’. The programme shows Stephen drawing from memory an accurate sketch of St. Pancras station, which he had briefly visited once 1987 Drawings, Stephen’s first book is published 1988 Stephen visits New York for the first time and produces a series of acclaimed drawings of the city – the trip heavily influenced his work. ITN followed him during his trip 1989 Cities, Stephen’s second book is published 1990 Stephen leaves school and starts a drawing and painting course at City and Guilds of London Art School 1991-2 Trips to Venice, Leningrad, Moscow and Amsterdam 1991 Floating Cities, Stephen’s book of drawings made during his visits to Venice, Leningrad, Moscow and Amsterdam, is published and reaches number one in the bestsellers lists 1992 Stephen is invited to visit Tokyo and undertakes a drawing commission of landmarks 1992 Stephen visits the USA for a second time, travelling to Chicago, San Francisco,

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