JulianBreamGuitar.com
by Robert Tilleard
The Tilleard painting of Julian and Django is displayed at the Wigmore Hall lobby during the Julian Bream Trust Concert every two years.
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Julian Bream C.B.E. and Django
Some personal reflections from Robert Tilleard with julianbreamguitar.com.
JBG: When did you first talk to Julian about the painting?
RT: It must have been in 2007.
JBG: Did he commission the work or did you offer?
RT: I proposed the portrait after dinner one night whilst we sat in the music room listening to Miles Davis's Kind of Blue with Julian humming "Sooo what! Sooo what!" under his breath.
JBG: When did you start the painting and how long did it take you to finish it?
RT: Presumably 2007; about 2 months (Why do people always want to know how long a painting takes? What difference does it make?)
JBG: Date finished? 2007?
RT: Yes, I think it was 2007. See painting, bottom right!
JBG: Once it was finished, was it displayed publicly at a gallery or Museum? I am assuming that it was mainly displayed at Julian's home since I saw it on the drawing-room wall.
RT: It was never displayed publicly, only at Julian's home. Initially at Broad Oak. Later at Donhead St Andrew.
JBG: Was there any press coverage for the painting or was the whole thing kept relatively private?
RT: It was a private commission.
JBG: Can you tell us the dimensions of the painting?
RT: It's a life-size portraiture in oil.
JBG: Did Julian sit for the painting or did you paint from a photograph?I'm assuming, just like the Marquis of Bath and his dog, at least the "Django" portion of the painting must have been from a photo. I can't see "Django" sitting for a painting for any length of time.
RT: It was a photo session portraiture with a final sitting.
JBG: Did you allow Julian to view the work before it was finished?
RT: No
JBG: Did Julian try to influence your work or did he give you free rein to create at your pleasure?
RT: Free rein with the creative process.
JBG: What was Julian's immediate impression of the finished work?
RT: Julian was thrilled - mainly because of the depiction of "Django".
JBG: Any quotes or impressions others may have had of the painting?
RT: None - other than universal approval.
JBG: The piece will be displayed to the public for the first time during the Julian Bream Trust Concert in the lobby of Wigmore Hall. Is it on loan from the Julian Bream Estate - Julian Bream Trust?
RT: I presume that Julian Bream Estate bequeathed the painting to Wigmore Hall.
Webmaster's note:
On the 21st of November 2021, The Julian Bream Trust held the first trust concert after the passing of Julian Bream on the 14th of August 2020. The Julian Bream C.B.E. and Django portrait was on display in the lobby at Wigmore Hall. Robert Tilleard was present along with Janice George-Allen and julianbreamguitar.com.
Curiously, the painting was not displayed at the following Julian Bream Trust concert on 21st of November 2023.
"Julian's twilight years, wonderfully described. His hands, fantastic Robert." Janice George-Allen (Julian's sister)
William Chávez 2010, © 2013, 2025