The royal painter and his VERY cheeky revenge: Former model reveals artist titled her nude portrait 'Aging Dancer' after failing to bed her
A former model has revealed that a royal artist who painted her nude portrait titled it Aging Dancer in revenge for her not sleeping with him.
Caroline Brown disrobed for Norman Hutchinson after they shared several bottles of champagne to mark her 50th birthday.
The artist, who once painted the Queen and Prince Philip and had a playboy reputation, produced a tasteful picture of Caroline from behind.
However, when he unveiled it to her at his studio he disclosed he had given it the unflattering title.
Caroline Brown disrobed for Norman Hutchinson after they shared several bottles of champagne to mark her 50th birthday
Miss Brown, now 74, believes he did this as he was 'slightly annoyed' he wasn't able to bed her, unlike some of his other models. The painting is expected to fetch £2,500 when it is auctioned tomorrow.
Miss Brown, who also used to be a classical dancer, said: 'Norman was eccentric and pushed boundaries but he was also a deeply intelligent and cultured man.
'He first asked to do my portrait as I was coming up to 40. Then, as I was approaching 50, I went to dinner with him and told him I was reflecting on my life.
He said, 'Can I paint you to capture this moment of inner reflection?', then said it would be good if I was in the nude.
Miss Brown, who also used to be a classical dancer, said: 'Norman was eccentric and pushed boundaries but he was also a deeply intelligent and cultured man'
'I thought I liked the sound of that and one Sunday afternoon we drank several bottles of champagne and he took lots of photos of me. On my next visit he invited me up to his studio and pulled down a cloth to reveal his painting of me. He told me the title was Aging Dancer and I laughed.
'I think he was somewhat annoyed that he could not bed me as he liked to bed his live models, and this was his little way of getting back at me.' Miss Brown said rather than be offended she had loved the portrait 'because I felt it captured my inner feelings' but she no longer has space for it in her London apartment. Hutchinson, who was born in Calcutta in 1932, also painted Prince Philip and the Queen Mother.
He died, aged 78, in 2010. Victor Fauvelle, head of paintings at auctioneers Woolley and Wallis, of Salisbury, Wiltshire, said: 'This is an incredibly striking portrait, beautifully executed by an artist with an exceptional eye.
'Hutchinson had a very playful style whilst at the same time being extremely proficient.'
Miss Brown added: 'Norman was a very special man and I miss him dearly.'
The artist once painted the Queen and Prince Philip
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