Charles Billich is an artist living in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

. His painting subjects include

Ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and town planning,

eroticism Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...

and

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

ure, and

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

, as well as

Humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

pieces and works of religious significance. In 2000, he received the Sport Artist of the Year Award presented annually by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives. Charles Billich conceived a series of images based on the Bing Ma Yong

Terracotta warriors The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting the emperor in ...

. The Bing Ma Yong images are represented on a collection of 16 postage stamps currently in circulation in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Biography

Charles Billich's works have hung in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, the

United Nations Headquarters The United Nations is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States, and the complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1951. It is in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neig ...

, and the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

. Billich paints and draws in all

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

and sculpts in precious and semi-precious metals. ''Humanity United'' was created from a brief extended to him by the

Australian Red Cross The Australian Red Cross, formally the Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1923 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, the Australian Red Cros ...

to commemorate the 2001 Centenary of the

Nobel Prize for Peace The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology ...

. Dr

José Ramos-Horta José Manuel Ramos-Horta (; born 26 December 1949) is an East Timorese politician currently serving as president of East Timor since May 2022. He previously served as president from 20 May 2007 to 20 May 2012. Previously he was Minister of Fore ...

, the then

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

and Cooperation for

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

, requested he paint their Independence painting. In June 2004, Billich exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Hosted by the UN Friendship Club, Billich was invited back with his ''Humanity United'' collection in September 2006. Inspired by his work "The Beijing Cityscape", the official image for the successful

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

bid to host the 2008

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, Charles Billich conceived a series of images based on the Bing Ma Yong

Terracotta Warriors The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting the emperor in ...

. The collection of images, portray the Bing Ma Yong Terracotta Warriors in a series of sporting compositions. In June 2004 Billich completed ''Jubilation China's 100 Year Olympic Dream Realised'' - a piece depicting the celebration that followed the announcement of China's to be the 2008 Olympic host nation. Billich created a cityscape painting of the 2008 Olympic Water Sports Venue

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

, which has been presented to the Mayor and the Beijing Olympic Committee in

in July 2005. Billich also created ''The World In Union''. This is the official image of the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

2003. Charles Billich received the "Honorary Citizen of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

" and the Key to the city during the Centennial Games; the title Sports Artist of the Year 2000, an Honorary Doctorate and the "Order of the Eagle Exemplar" from the

United States Sports Academy The United States Sports Academy is a private university focused on sports and located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the academy has provided its ...

and American Sport Art Museum. In 2004 he has also assumed the role of Trustee of this premier sports education facility. Billich has been decorated with the

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

Gold Order by the French Ministry of Sport for his contributions to the French Olympic Team during the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

2000 Olympic Games.

Eco Art Parade 2009

Artist Charles Billich and HSH Prince Albert of Monaco

"Eco Art Parade 2009" was an environmental art exhibition in aid of the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco, themed around the Bonelli's Eagle, an endangered species of the Mediterranean, whose protection is supported by the Foundation. To honor the Bonelli's Eagle, Charles Billich presented a bronze sculpture of "The Order of the Golden Eagle", which was on display from 8 June to 8 October 2009 in the Principality of Monaco.

Awards

* Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Tonga The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga ('' Tongan: Fakalangilangi 'o Kalauni 'o Tonga'') is an Order of Merit awarded for exceptional services to Tonga and the Crown of Tonga. History It was established 16 April 1913 by George Tupou II to rewa ...

(31 July 2008). * ''77th Honorary Shaolin Monk, Henan, China 2004'' * ''Milan & Spoleto Awards, Italy, 1989'' * ''Victorian Heritage & Cultural Award 1988'' * ''Centennial Olympic City, USA 1996'' * ''Honorary Citizen of Atlanta,1996'' * ''Order of the Eagle Exemplar, USA, 2000'' * ''Doctor Philosophy Honoris Causa-United States Sports Academy'' * ''Prints award/Gold Medal 1987/88'' * ''Spoleto Award, Italy, 1987''

References

External links

Official site – Australia and Asia

Official site – Europe

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081121133356/http://www.btmbeijing.com/contents/en/btm/2004-08/hot/billich "Century-old Olympic Dream Comes True – on Canvas," 29 July 2004
"Olympic Artist Shows Painting: Magnificent Tianjin

"Sport Artist of the Year 2000: Charles Billich" (CCTV.com)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billich, Charles 1934 births Living people People from Lovran 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters 21st-century Croatian painters 21st-century Croatian male artists 21st-century Australian male artists Australian male painters Australian people of Croatian descent 20th-century Croatian male artists 20th-century Australian male artists Commanders of the Order of the Crown of Tonga