Wow wee as Bowie makes hospice £30K

Wednesday 28 September 2016

He's a former DJ and ex-swimmer whose dream of reaching the 2000 Olympics was dashed by injury - but artist Iain Alexander’s latest work raised £30,000 for Jersey Hospice Care.

A portrait of David Bowie by Mr Alexander raised that astonishing amount at the Rosel Manor Charity Ball last weekend - and the artist was delighted.

The money will go towards Jersey Hospice Care, who say they were stunned by Mr Alexander’s generosity.  

Mr Alexander said: “Basically my connection with Jersey is through my mother, as her fiancé Michael is from the Island. He was an IT worker, but now lives with mum in Spain. That’s why I have such a close affinity with Jersey.

“My closest loved ones are my mum and my grandparents and when the opportunity came up to help the hospice I discussed it with them and didn’t even give it a second thought. It was a no-brainer. I was chuffed to have been asked to help. 

“I put up for auction two David Bowie pictures with the auction winner going to the one which attracted the biggest bid. I was really delighted when it reached £30,000. The money will go to the right place and I couldn’t have been happier with it.”

The artist, whose North-east accent is due to his schooling in Durham, has enjoyed success in many fields, including swimming and a stint as a renowned DJ in Dubai. 

“I was at school swimming five hours a day and all was geared towards the Millennium Olympics in Sydney, but in 1999, when I was part of the GB Olympic training squad, I had a spine injury which meant that wasn’t going to happen. 

“When I was swimming I didn’t really have any close friends and I just listened to music whenever I could. I got a job working as  DJ in Dubai and that’s how I started meeting people who were into my art. I showed some of them my artwork, they liked it and they bought it. I designed a restaurant, a nightclub and a beach club, all when I was in my early 20s. It all started from nothing really.

“From that small acorn grew my job as an artist. I went to University very briefly before going to Dubai and was told I couldn’t make a living selling my artwork. I said I could, so I left the course.”

It wasn’t an entirely daft decision as Mr Alexander has been a huge success. 

Dedicating his energy towards portraiture, he found early success and was commissioned to produce works for royalty, celebrities, private collectors and elite brands.

He has recently exhibited his work alongside acclaimed artists Banksy and Takashi Murakami. 

His portraits and clients include Queen Elizabeth II ,Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nayen (former Ruler of UAE), Sheikh Khalifa Bin Sultan Al Nayen (Ruler of UAE), Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani (Ruler of Qatar), the Malaysian royal family, Dame Vivienne Westwood, David Beckham, Jim Morrison, Kanye West, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Hendrix, Will Smith, Daniel Craig and Alexander McQueen, Mohammad Ali and Kurt Cobain.

Linzi Duckworth, Marketing and Communications Officer for Jersey Hospice Care, said: “It is an incredible gesture from Iain and we are hugely grateful. We have daily running costs of £14,000 a day so the amount raised means more than two days of care, which is vital to us. It is a huge donation from Iain and a huge deal for us. We cannot thank him enough.”