An official portrait of the late John Hume is being unveiled today in Westminster, following a commission from the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art.
The oil on canvass work was painted by Northern Irish artist Colin Davidson, based on sketches the artist made during sittings with John Hume in 2016 – four years before he died.
The portrait of the former Foyle MP is hanging in Portcullis House, one of the busiest buildings on the Parliamentary Estate, and marks the contribution the Nobel Peace Prize winner made during his 22 years as a Westminster MP.
First elected to the Foyle constituency in 1983, John Hume was a leading figure in the Northern Irish civil rights movement. Having been one of the party’s founders, he was leader of the SDLP from 1979 to 2001 and one of the key architects of the peace process.
In 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace alongside David Trimble, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party ‘for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland’.
The portrait was commissioned following a proposal from the Member for Belfast South, Claire Hanna.
Photo – ©UK Parliament WOA 7738
