Anthony Woodd Gallery

Basil Ede, born in England in 1931, is regarded as being among the foremost painters in the history of avian portraiture. He is noted for combining ornithological and ecological accuracy and detail with dramatic impressionistic and stylised backgrounds. His book detailing The Wild Birds of America series, entitled ‘Wild Birds of America – The Art of Basil Ede’, which included 103 plates of his work in colour, along with field notes and sketches, was published by Abrams, New York in 1991. In his later works Ede paints his subjects using oils, preferring the medium for its facilitation of freer expression and bolder colours.

 

Collectors of both his early and his later works include HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, The late Walter H. Annenberg, former U.S. Ambassador to The Court of St James, and Jack Westervelt Warner. In 2003 a life sized portrait in oils of The Bald Eagle, painted by Basil Ede was gifted to The American nation and was presented to President George W. Bush and First Lady, Laura Bush at The White House.