The Last of the Tide

Twelve portraits of D-Day veterans have gone on display at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace on the 71st anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy.  The exhibition, The Last of the Tide  pays tribute to the extraordinary men that played a role in the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944 and was commissioned by HRH The Prince of Wales following his attendance of last year's commemorations in France. 

The largest amphibious invasion in history, the D-Day landings involved some 7,700 ships and 12,000 aircraft and led to the liberation of German-occupied France.  On the eve of D-Day General Eisenhower sent a message to all troops in which he declared, 'The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!'.

Unique and poignant, the D-Day portraits have been created by twelve different artists, among them Jonathan Yeo, and eight artists who are faculty and alumni of the Royal Drawing School including first prize winners of the BP Portrait Award, Catherine Goodman, James Lloyd, Ishbel Myerscough and Stuart Pearson Wright. 

Artist Jonathan Yeo, who painted the portrait of veteran Geoffrey Pattinson, said, 'Painting someone who candidly describes the first time they set foot on foreign soil as the time they jumped out of a moving aircraft and parachuted down through flying bullets, to land in Normandy for D-Day, makes Geoffrey one of the more extraordinary sitters I've encountered in my time as a portrait artist.'

The exhibition has been put together by The Royal Drawing School in collaboration with Royal Collection Trust.