Alan Cotton: Journeys with the King
- Messum's Studio
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
To coincide with the exhibition The Art of Royal Travel: Journeys with The King at Buckingham Palace, Patricia Crossley-Hayes at The Artist Magazine talks to royal tour artist, Alan Cotton about his experiences of travelling with King Charles III.
'It was midnight in the UK when we touched down in Columbo, but over there it was 6am the following morning. Helicopters were waiting on the runway for the one-hour journey to Batticaloa, and as we flew low over the town, we could see the trail of destruction caused by the tsunami. The temple - a magnificent ornate structure - was split in half. For me it was a humbling experience. The fabric will be repaired, and donations for the appeal have been the largest ever, but the pain will be always in the peoples' hearts; many have lost whole families, and none remains unscarred. I spoke to many people, including one man who had lost three of his children. The Prince's visit gave everyone there an "uplift" He has the ability to put people at their ease and communicates easily - a great skill.'
Read the Full Article Here
To coincide with the opening of The King’s Tour Artists at Buckingham Palace, we present a selection of travel pictures by Alan Cotton, drawn from his journeys across the globe — from Tibet to New Zealand, Piemonte to Morocco, and, closer to home, in Devon and Ireland.
Cotton accompanied His Majesty the King — then the Prince of Wales — as his official tour artist, creating paintings and drawings during royal visits to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Several of these works will feature in the exhibition at Buckingham Palace.
View the full presentation of 33 paintings on our website until 28th August, or through our digital catalogue below.Â
To accompany the presentation 2025 exhibition, we have produced a fully illustrated Digital catalogue with a selection of works taken from Alan extensive travels through the world, from Tibet to New Zealand, Piemonte and Morocco, and - closer to home - Devon and Ireland.
Full lists of available works by Alan Cotton are available online
or enquire at our gallery in St. James's