Born Scarborough, England 1830. Brought up and educated around Europe, Leighton went on to become the pivot of the English art establishment and the President of the Royal Academy (1878-96). As a child he became absorbed in Classical mythology and this inspired his idealised human figures. Considered the Olympian of Victorian classicism, he was particularly interested in Ancient Greece. He had plaster copies of the Parthenon frieze set into his studio walls, and in 1866 created the ‘Arab Hall’ in his home at Holland Park, West London. His best works, including ‘Flaming June’, were created in the last 10 years of his life. Most of these major works were modelled by his muse, the actress Dorothy Dere, and ‘Flaming June’ shows a new vibrant warmth with lush colours, revealing a sensuality behind his classical academicism. Died in London, the day after receiving his peerage in 1896. Still the only English artist to receive a peerage.
