Olivier Gendebien, Ferrari 500 TR, Le Mans (1956)

Dexter Brown also known as De Bruyne is a British painter who was educated at the Harrow School of Art. He has two ‘painting personalities’; firstly, De Bruyne, the impressionist artist (popular in America) that confines himself to the golden period of motoring up to the Second World War. Secondly, Dexter Brown, the near photographic to abstract artist (popular in England) that focuses on the early days of motoring up to the present time. As an artist he is most well-known for painting celebrities and racing cars with commissions from clients such Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Rolls-Royce and British Leyland. Brown’s depiction of a Ferrari 500 TR, driven by the Belgian Olivier Jean Marie Fernand Gendebien (1924 - 1998), racing at high speed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1956 is a perfect example of Brown’s dynamic art and a more or less straightforward study of speed using a low vantage point and light. According to Robert Edwards “Dexter Brown paints light, wherever he finds it.” (Robert Edwards, “The Art of Dexter Brown”, 2001, Haynes Publishing, p.7).