Christian Cardell Corbet
Born 31 January 1976 is a Canadian sculptor, painter, designer and patron to the arts. He co-founded and was first President of the Canadian Portrait Academy.
Quotes
"When one buys some of my artwork I hope it is because they will wish to learn from it and not because they think it will match their drapes!" -Christian Cardell Corbet, 1997
"I missed having my cereal this morning, I ran out of champagne." 2009
Personal Life
Born at Pickering Beach, Ontario, he was raised by his paternal grandparents A. J. Corbet II and Alice Charlotte Corbet (née Gould) in both Toronto and the suburbs. His family are direct descendants of a prominent Corbet family of Guernsey, Channel Islands. At a very young age, he developed a strong interest in the fine arts. Due to increasingly ill health, chronic asthma, by the age of 14 he was not able to participate in regular sports like most children his age, his grandparents along with his great uncle and aunt strongly encouraged him to paint and sculpt often taking him on tours of museums and art galleries to study the Canadian Masters. The Corbet family also knew many notable Canadian artists to include [Isabel McLaughlin], [Frances Loring], [Florence Wyle] among others.
As Corbet's artistic career was just commencing in 1999 he was struck with the tragic death of his mother Alberta Charlotte Stevens whose body was found in a remote barren field near Orangeville, Ontario. The passing of his mother was regarded as a suspicious suicide.
Early Career
In 1995, Corbet created a portrait of the Queen Mother which was presented to Clarence House on July 4 of the same year. In 1996, Corbet also met and was mentored by sculptor Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook. His early works include portrait paintings and sculptures of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Isabel McLaughlin, Doris McCarthy among others.
In 1997, Corbet painted a portrait a portrait of Canadian composer Jean Coulthard. In 1998, Corbet sculpted a portrait of Jane Addams for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and later in 1999 he was appointed a Patron Artist for The International Dyslexia Association were he sculpted a portrait of Samuel Orton and Carl Kline and Carolyn Kline. This sculpture titled: "The Dr. and Mrs. Carl L. Kline Award for Outstanding Service in the Field of Dyslexia" is an annual award.
In 1999, Corbet was again inducted into "Who's Who in Canada - 90th Anniversary Edition" in the "Rising Stars" section. By this point in his career Corbet was represented in the following collections: HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, UK; Glamis Castle, Scotland; Abraham Brill Library, USA; Sigmund Freud Museum, UK; University of Guelph, Canada; City of North Vancouver, Canada; Seymour Art Gallery, Canada; Durham Board of Education, Canada; University of British Columbia, Canada; Lions Gate Hospital, Canada; CBC. Corp (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Canada.
Portrait Art
In 2000, Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook asked Corbet to create a sculpture based on an older 1979 liturgical drawing of hers. The sculpture titled "Glory Be Madonna and Child" was completed about two weeks before Bradford Holbrook died in March 2009. The bisque relief sculpture of was donated by Corbet to St. John's Anglican Church, Ancaster, Ontario.[
In 2006, Corbet's portrait of the Thomas Reuben Black was acquired by the Library of Parliament, Parliament of Canada.
In 2008, Corbet was commissioned by the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy 25th Anniversary to create an authorized portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. Two maquettes of this medallion were presented to Lady Mary Soames and Celia Sandys. He was also appointed to the Head Table at the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy 25th Anniversary Dinner seated with such notable people as former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell; Henry N. R. Jackman; Catherine Callbeck; Martha Hall Findlay among others. Corbet is pictured with his sculpture of Winston Churchill in a special limited edition publication with William Graham, Chancellor Trinity College.
His portrait of Margaret Atwood, created in 1998, was published on the front cover of Margaret Atwood and the Female Bildungsroman, written by Bath University professor Ellen McWilliams and published in 2009.
In 2009, Corbet sculpted and painted a portrait of Guernsey poet and painter Denys Corbet. The painting of Denys Corbet was unveiled at the Forest Douzaine on 30 May 2009. In July 2009, Corbet had a solo exhibition at the Priaulx Library where the Bailiff of Guernsey, Channel Islands, Sir Geoffrey Rowland, unveiled a portrait of himself painted by Corbet. In late 2009 Corbet created an authorized conte and pastel portrait of Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma which was unveiled by the Countess in Warwickshire, England in October. The oil sketch is in the Canadian Portrait Academy Permanent Collection.
Margaret Atwood Idea Idea is a mixed media painting exhibited at the Canadian Portrait Academy, Hycroft Mansion, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to mixed reviews. Later it was deposited into the CPA Permanent Collection. The 24 inch x 48 inch acrylic on canvas abstract portrait includes several real Peruvian butterflies affixed to it. The portrait was donated by the Canadian Portrait Academy in 2003 to the University of British Columbia.
In 2009, Ellen McWilliams of Bath Spa University used the portrait for the front cover of her book Margaret Atwood and the Female Bildungsroman.
Forensic Art
In 2003, Corbet commenced working with Andrew Nelson, Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario and colleagues on the Sulman Mummy Project which was originally brought back from Egypt by George William Sulman a merchant living in Chatham, Ontario. Corbet was asked to sculpt the full forensic facial reconstruction of the 2,2000 mummy. The project was featured on several episodes of The Discovery Channel's, Daily Planet (TV series), and received worldwide attention.Corbet was lauded by the Rt. Hon. Ms. Helene Chalifour Scherrer, Minister of Canadian Heritage for his work with the Sulman Mummy. On 16 January 2004, the Chatham-Kent Museum unveiled the mummy. The Sulman Mummy Project was a joint effort between the Chatham-Kent Museum, Department of Anthropology at the University of Western Ontario, St. Joseph's Health Centre, Robarts Research Institute, the National Research Council of Canada, the Drafting Clinic Canada Ltd., and sculptor Christian Cardell Corbet.
As "Forensic Artist in Residence" at the University of Western Ontario, Corbet created a comparative forensic facial reconstruction of a Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt mummy belonging to the Royal Ontario Museum which was completed in 2010.
In January 2011 Corbet's three dimensional facial reconstruction of an Irish born WWI soldier who died during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917 was identified as Pte. Thomas Lawless and announced by the Department of National Defence. Corbet was lauded for his work having received letters and special messages from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Kathy Dunderdale Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Minister of National Defence Hon. Peter MacKay, Amit Chakma, President & Vice-Chancellor of UWO among others. Corbet received a special invitation to attend the Full Military Burial in France. The forensic portrait sculpture of Pte. Thomas Lawless was unveiled at the Gallipoli Armoury, Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador and hosted by the 2nd Newfoundland Regiment. A CT and Laser scan was performed on the forensic facial reconstruction of Corbet's portrait of Lawless at Western Memorial Regional Hospital in April 2011 undertaken by Dr. Gavin White and Hilda Stephen. Subsequently Corbet's forensic bust of Lawless has been acquired by the Canadian War Museum.
Recent Works
Since 2007 Corbet has become quite prolific in his portrait work. Below is a list of selected authorized subjects.
Winston Churchill Countess Mountbatten of Burma [Martha Hall Findlay] [Rise Stevens] Admiral Sir Charles Kingsmill [Pt. Thomas Lawless] Senator [Nancy Ruth] Oscar Niemeyer Judge Joseph Wearing [CPO Max Bernays] [Walter Allward] Hon.[Michael Ignatieff]
Collections
Corbet is represented in over 80 important collections in over 14 nations.
Protege
Corbet's sole protege is sculptor Benjamin Trickett Mercer.
