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Ralph Wolfe Cowan was born in 1931, in Phoebus, Virginia. He was raised in Portsmouth, Virginia and attended art school at the Art Student's League in New York City. World renowned for his portraiture, Cowan has painted more portraits of royalty and world leaders than any other artist in history. In addition, Cowan's unique "romantic realistic" style combines the classical with the surreal and lends itself to different series of works, such as "Promenade" and "Age of Innocence". In these works, Cowan introduces us to fantasy worlds that include complex compositions of beautifully painted children, animals and symbolic references to mythology, religion and past traditions. He uses these references since they take us on a magical journey and influence the way we view the world today. Cowan includes children because "like all beauties they believe that along the way, they will bring world peace and a new dimension to the meaning of life". Over the years, Cowan has painted the portraits of an impressive list of celebrities, has appeared on many news and talk shows, and has had numerous articles written about his talent and interesting life. PARTIAL LIST OF PORTRAITS OF ROYALTY & DIGNITARIES: HSH Princess Grace, Monaco President & Mrs. John F. Kennedy HM Sultan of Brunei HH Diana, Princess of Wales His Holiness Pope John Paul II General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev, S.Union PARTIAL LIST OF PORTRAITS OF CELEBRITIES: Elizabeth Taylor Diana Ross Elvis Presley Debby Reynolds Monica Seles Tony Bennett SELECTED APPEARANCES and ARTICLES: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Newsweek Entertainment Tonight People Sally Jesse Raphael Smithsonian |