About

Rupert Hanley is an artist from South Africa known for his stylized portraits, wildlife paintings and landscapes. Born in 1952, in Port Elizabeth, Rupert Hanley's creative work was primarily influenced by the 1970s. Conceptualism is often perceived as a response to Minimalism, and the dominant art movement of the 1970s, challenging the boundaries of art with its revolutionary features. During the presidential administration of Nelson Mandela, he was commissioned to create paintings as state gifts to exchange with visiting dignitaries. Recipients of Hanley’s works include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, first President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin and other heads of state. In recent years, his work has focused on the wild animals found in Kruger National Park in northeastern South Africa, one of Africa’s largest game reserves. These include leopards, giraffes, zebras and elephants. Because he has spent so much time in the park, Hanley recognizes many of the elephants that reside there. Hanley studied at the Port Elizabeth Art School in South Africa. His paintings are found in many well-known collections as well as at major corporations worldwide. In his younger years Rupert was a former South African first class cricketer. Due to his long blond hair, Hanley was known as Spook, Afrikaans for ghost. Hanley was a fast medium bowler whose career coincided with South Africa's ban on international cricket, he played for South Africa in two unofficial "Tests" and 6 limited overs matches against the touring West Indian side in 1984, taking a hat-trick at the Wanderers Stadium and 14 wickets in total. In England he played for Northamptonshire during the 1984 season, representing the county against the West Indies, and taking 3/27 in the first innings. David Doyle, a peer of Graeme Pollock and one of South Africa's premier batsmen of the era rated Hanley one of the greatest bowlers he faced.Hanley has the unusual distinction of having taken more wickets than he scored runs (in both first class and List A) over his career.