The studio walls of painter Christian Hook’s home have certainly seen some famous faces. The Gibraltar-based artist has painted the portraits of celebrities and royals.
His subjects include actors Alan Cumming, Ian McKellen and Kristin Scott Thomas, and the boxer Amir Khan.
While his method involves embedding within his subjects’ lives and beginning the portraits at their homes, he finished his canvases in his spare bedroom that doubled as an artists’ studio.
“I painted a portrait of Richard Branson there,” Hook tells Homes & Property. “I was commissioned to paint a portrait of Fergie by her ex-husband. He invited me over to the Royal Lodge to paint, and I finished the portrait at the flat.” Prince Andrew invited Hook to Windsor to paint the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Despite divorcing in 1996, the former couple co-habited in Windsor.
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One of his favourite subjects was Judi Dench. “She was a lovely woman,” he says. “And I love all the Bond movies, so that was cool.”
The two-bedroom apartment is now on the market with Knight Frank for £850,000. For the artist, it holds a lot of happy memories. “That studio has quite a substantial history with important pieces that I painted there and are now hanging in the permanent collections of national galleries,” says Hook.
When he purchased the flat eight years ago, Hook began house hunting on the advice of his art gallery. “I didn't know about London, it was the first time I was going to live there,” he says. “They told me to Chelsea was one of the best places to be.”
The flat on Beaufort Street stood out because of its unusual design. The previous owner, and architect, had refurbished the parts with pieces of historic ships.
“Someone from the architect’s family was in the shipping industry, and he made furniture, the cupboards and everything, from parts of ships,” says Hook. “Everything was so elegant.” The previous owner left several pieces behind, including a long bench seat made out of boat planks, and a custom glass table has legs made from salvaged marine metal.
As a creative himself, Hook added his own touch to the property. “I made a few modifications myself,” he explains. “I made the living room smaller to make room for a bigger bathroom. had to open the roof to put the standalone bath in.” He furnished the flat with antique mirrors and sofa’s sourced from Chelsea Harbour Design Centre.
Set on the top floor, the apartment has an open plan living area with exposed beams and wooden floorboards. The kitchen has industrial aluminium countertops. The agents note that a lease extension is in progress, and buyers should consult with their solicitor.
Although he is selling up, the artist cherishes the memories of the work he created in his spare-room-turned-studio. “It’s small but it’s a special room because it was my studio for my early years where I did lots of celebrities,” says Hook.
Now Hook’s career has taken off he splits his time between Gibaltar, Portugal and New York, travelling for half the year. “The only reason I am selling is because I only come to London for exhibitions now,” he says.
“It’s been a great place for me for eight years but I want to pass it on.”
