Claire Milner
Claire Milner is a British artist based in North Yorkshire. She works in collections fusing classical literature, mythology, science, and nature within an art historical context. Environmental references such as climate change and mass extinction have been the central focus of her image-making for more than two decades. She depicts these lifelong passions of protecting habitats and endangered species, which have become the defining challenges of our time, in a dialogue with art history. Male protagonists are often substituted with her own self-portrait or animals, purposefully changing the narrative of the original works, resulting in a contemporary, environmental, and very personal portrayal.
Milner’s artworks are held in a number of private collections worldwide, most famously Blue Marilyn in the collection of Rihanna, which was featured in a special edition of Vogue Paris guest-edited by Rihanna in a profile of her favorite things. Blue Amy, Milner's portrait of Amy Winehouse, appeared in an exhibition curated by the Amy Winehouse Foundation to mark what would have been the late singer's 30th birthday. Milner's paintings have been widely featured in global media, and her work has been displayed in museum exhibitions in the UK, including: Ripon Cathedral, York Minster, Corinium Museum, Canal Museum, Pontefract Museum, Museum in the Park, as well as installations in Harrods and Whiteley’s.
Milner’s work has raised substantial funds for conservation and environmental organizations, and her paintings have been described as "metaphors of our time" in examining the effects of humans on each other and on other species and ecosystems. The artist recently collaborated with charity: water to raise funds for the organization, which is on a mission to end the global water crisis. Work from the artist’s Anima Mundi Collection was selected by the organizing committee to be exhibited at COP26. At the same time, she was selected to take part in the Explorers Against Extinction Invitational Exhibition in Norwich Cathedral and at the Oxo Gallery, London. Her work was later auctioned, and the sale contributed toward a campaign to champion the work of 21 conservation projects from around the world. Ocean Rainforest, her painting featuring coral reefs and sea turtles, won the Oceanic Global Artivism Challenge, following which it was exhibited during Art Basel Miami. The judges included Susan Rockefeller, Dustin Yellin, and Zaria Forman.
Her painting entitled The Unknown, commissioned by actress and animal activist Dame Virginia McKenna, was auctioned in aid of the Born Free Foundation and sold to actress and activist Dame Joanna Lumley. Burning Bright, created with 32,000 Swarovski crystals, was exhibited at an exhibition in London’s Hotel Café Royal and auctioned at The Savoy Hotel in aid of Save Wild Tigers, The Born Free Foundation, and The Environmental Investigation Agency. In 2024, Claire Milner has been selected as an Active Member of the Gallery Climate Coalition for the second year running, along with several blue-chip galleries, institutions, and museums.
https://www.claire-milner.co.uk
