Rolf Harris CBE

Rolf Harris was born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the characters. Rolf Harris also began a musical career initially with the piano accordian. He wrote some famous songs, and when performing in Canada he introduced his popular routine Jake the Peg. He often uses unusual instruments in his performances: he plays the digdgeridoo, has been credited with the invention of the wobble board, a rhythmic percussion instrument, and was associated with the Stylophone, a small electronic keyboard instrument.

Acknowledged as a genuine modern master and hailed as the country’s best–loved artist, Rolf Harris has been awarded the CBE and has won many accolades both for his artwork and for his contribution to the entertainment industry.

Rolf Harris's versatile talents have won him immense popularity on gallery walls and even on stage at the world-famous Glastonbury Festival.

Always a huge favourite on television, his BBC1 series Rolf on Art gained the highest ever viewing figures for a programme on the visual arts, topping all previous programmes by over six million viewers.

In 1992 Rolf Harris was named the world’s most famous artist in a massive poll conducted by the London artMart and last year his enduring popularity was underlined by a survey - What the British Really Thinks About Art Today - published in the Daily Telegraph, in which he featured ahead of Damian Hirst.