Tom Phillips Obituary, Death – Tom Phillips was born and raised in South London, and although you very well may have seen his incredible work (for example, in the National Portrait Gallery, Westminster Cathedral, or The Ivy), he was never a household name like some of his contemporaries were. Tom Phillips was born and raised in South London. Despite this, so many of us were moved by his body of work, and those of us who loved him did so in a deep and abiding way. When I was a student at Chelsea College of Art, I had the good fortune to meet him at the V&A, where he was delivering an extremely motivational talk at the time.
If you have seen my artwork over the years, you will know that I have basically stolen any excellent idea that I have ever had from him. If you have seen my artwork over the years, you will know that. A number of years ago, when I was basking in the success of my first hit song, I made the decision to go to Christie’s and place a bid on this artwork as a way to reward myself for all of my hard work. It’s a portion of his lifelong art project called “The Humument,” and originals like this one don’t come available for sale very frequently.
Imagine how thrilled I was when I realized how relevant the text was to my own life. It had to work out this way. I can’t even count how many times I’ve looked at this painting to remind me that expression is the most important thing. I am sad today, but I am so incredibly grateful to have discovered an artist whose work I truly loved while he was still alive and creating it. This artist meant as much to me as my all-time hero William Blake, and I held him in the same high regard. Although I am sad today, I am so incredibly grateful to have discovered this artist. I am grateful to Tom Phillips. You will continue to exist so long as your work does. Tom Phillips, Royal Air Force, was born on May 25, 1937 and died on November 28, 2022.