Richard T. Slone is a self-taught artist residing in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. He was born in 1974 in Newton-in-Furness,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, a northern English town. His work rose in popularity in the early 2000's when it began being noticed by celebrities and art connoisseurs. His work has been commissioned and purchased by many global celebrities, as well as used for large scale events all over the world. Slone's art has become popular with notable collectors including

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

, Glenn Schaeffer,

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

and many more. His work has graced the covers of many magazines, including the

Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...

KO Magazine ''KO Magazine'' was a popular United States boxing magazine. It was first published in 1980, to compete with '' The Ring''. It was founded by Stanley Weston, long-time publisher of numerous boxing and pro wrestling titles. ''KO Magazine'', nickn ...

, World Boxing Magazine and many more. His work has been used by many companies and advertising agencies, including

Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka N ...

. He is the Official Artist of the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The IBH ...

, a title he has held since the age of 23. In 2007 Slone's artwork was used by the Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

to create a clothing line named 'Ultimate'. The line consisted of limited edition clothing with Slone's artwork printed on the garments. Slone has painted portraits of people including Nelson Mandela, Hugh Hefner, Donald Trump and

Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a former professional boxer and boxing commentator who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and the last heavyweight to hold ...

. He has also painted fighters from the

, including a landscape of Chuck Liddell entitled 'The Iceman Cometh', and a landscape of

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and h ...

vs. Paul Buentello, which was originally painted as two separate portraits but pieced together and made into an official licensed UFC poster. He is currently working on a huge oil portrait for rap star

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

Biography

Early Life

Sloane is the son of a blacksmith, and he grew up in a farming village in

Cumbria, England Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

. He spent his formative years roaming the countryside where his lifelong love of art was born. He left home at the age of 16 to pursue an offer to become a boxer under the guidance of boxing great

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure ...

, who guided his boxing career until Slone's love for art motivated him to pivot to painting.

2005 - Present Day

In 2005 international art investors bought an entire series of Slone originals. The interest and demand in his art in recent years has been phenomenal, the Art company was formed in 2005 and two art dealers were brought in to cater to Slone's rapidly growing clientele. Slone paints with great detail, bold colors and often uses Acrylic and Enamels. In 2007

Foxwoods Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more t ...

Casino and Resort commissioned Slone to paint their 100th boxing event. Slone also signed a multi-year deal with National Geographic/Hampton Brown who will publish some of his work. In 2010 Slone was selected to paint the Official artwork for Bafana Bafana, the South African football team for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. His artwork has been used on the official posters and programs for most major boxing events in the last 15 years, including Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Canelo vs Golovkin and Mayweather vs McGregor.

References

Richard T. Slone's official websiteSource of details of Foxwoods deal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slone, Richard 1974 births Living people 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters People from Newton-in-Furness 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists