Christian Corbet's big break came with a portrait he created of the late HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Since then he's ventured back and forth, and even in between, with various materials from oils to bronze to textiles to watercolour to even metal. One media has simply never been enough. His portrait work has brought him to private sittings in Buckingham Palace to the person next door. His medallic art has been exhibited and collected across Europe and his mixed media abstracted works grace private homes and institutions around the world. His ceramics are often bold and full of character - challenging blend of sculpture and painting.
Corbet's works have been collected by over 100 art galleries, museums and institutions worldwide. He can be cited in numerous publications worldwide. He has been granted coat of arms and badge from the Canadian Government, he was awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal and has had honourary titles created by and and granted to him from the government. He's an art historian, lecturer, mentor and patron.
Among his impressive list of prominent world sitters he can also count many of them as friends with the end product of his creations having solidified a connection between the two. He is known for his relaxed and jovial approach to interviewing his sitters and making them feel at ease, a major component in his portrait work. One subject and friend, the late HRH The Prince Philip was one subject for whom he received much attention to treating is a specific way for his life sittings of The Duke whilst sculpting him in Buckingham Palace. "The equerry warned me to do this and that and of course I followed some of the protocol but I knew if I were to respect my art there were some things I needed to do in my own way. If I was to change who I was completely then that would have an adverse effect on the outcome of the portrait." The final sculpture was later placed into the Royal Collection, a first for a Canadian artist of a portrait of the a Royal Consort.
Among his most celebrated work are forensic facial reconstructions of which he was trained and mentored by Dr. Nelson from the University of Western Ontario. His many subjects include the Sulman Mummy, Private Thomas Lawless, King Robert the Bruce and most recently Egyptian Pharaoh King Tutenkahuman created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tut's tomb in 1922. The reconstruction will be revealed in a 2 hour feature movie on PBS on 23rd November 2022.
Whether the portrait be sculpted or painted he has followed the philosophy that each must stand independent of any specific style "The portraits I create are as unique as the subject themselves. Why would I even attempt to make any two look or feel alike as that would be just copying."
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