
CHRISTIAN CORBET
Sculptor
CHRISTIAN CORBET

mULTIMEDIA
ARTIST
Born the eldest child of the eldest line of Corbet's, Christian Corbet comes from a long line of notable ancestry hailing from Guernsey, Channel Islands. His family history is steeped in accomplishments including the family quarry and growing business, the latter namely the Fruit Export Company. The produce was so excellent they supplied King George V and Queen Mary their finest fruits and flowers at Buckingham Palace during the King's reign. In 1921 the King and Queen along with Princess Mary visited the vineries on their state visit. Later the Duchess of Kent paid a private visit to the vineries as well.
​
Christian's talents for painting and writing may also be very much inherent as his cousin was the famed painter and poet Denys Corbet whom also painted with Christian's great grandfather. His also cousin to Jurat or Judge Wilfred Corbet OBE. Christian's great uncle on his maternal side was famed landscape painter John Constable and further back to the historic Howard family namely Queen Catherine Howard, wife of King Henry VIII. Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Christian's DNA supports a direct relation to King Edward I.
​
Christian is proud of his military background with his maternal great grandfather who fought for the British in the War of 1812 and his great grandfather Corbet who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge among other soldiers serving their countries.
​
Aside of his rich ancestry, Christian blazed his own ideals of what his life should be and forged forward with what he refers to as "following my own heart." People have always fascinated him and so has the human condition and so portraits have always been forefront to his career. The psychology of a person too is deeply interesting in Christian's work and can often be understood in his subjects quiet contemplation and other slight gestures.
​
Christian Corbet's major break came with a portrait he created of the late HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother which he presented at Clarence House in a private ceremony in 1995. Since then he's enthusiastically ventured back and forth, and even in between, with various materials from oils to bronze to textiles to watercolour to even metal. One media has simply never been enough. His portrait work has brought him to private sittings in Buckingham Palace to the person next door. His medallic art has been exhibited and collected across Europe and his mixed media abstracted works grace private homes and institutions around the world. His ceramics are often bold and full of character - challenging blend of sculpture and painting.
​
Corbet's works have been collected by over 100 art galleries, museums and institutions worldwide. of which in many he's the first and only Canadian to be collected in the institution. He can be cited in numerous publications worldwide. His national and provincial honours include:
​
Grant of Armorial Bearings and Badge
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
King Charles III Coronation Medal
Corbet has had honourary titles created by and granted specifically for and to him. They include:
​
"Sculptor for the Royal Canadian Navy" (Sc.-RCN)
"Regimental Sculptor for The Royal Canadian Regiment" (Reg. Sc.-RCR)
"Forensic Sculptor for the University of Western Ontario"
(Forensic Sc.-UWO)
​
Among his impressive list of prominent world sitters he can also count many of them as friends with the end product of his creations having solidified a connection between the two. He is known for his relaxed and jovial approach to interviewing his sitters and making them feel at ease, a major component in his portrait work. One subject and friend, the late HRH The Prince Philip was one subject for whom he received much attention to treating is a specific way for his life sittings of The Duke whilst sculpting him in Buckingham Palace. "The equerry warned me to do this and that and of course I followed some of the protocol but I knew if I were to respect my art there were some things I needed to do in my own way. If I was to change who I was completely then that would have an adverse effect on the outcome of the portrait." The final sculpture received two official unveilings, one at Canada House and the other in Buckingham Palace, the latter placed into the Royal Collection, a first for a Canadian artist of a portrait of the a Royal Consort.
​
​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Among his most celebrated works are academic forensic facial reconstructions of which he was trained and mentored by Dr. Nelson from the University of Western Ontario. His many subjects include the Sulman Mummy, Private Thomas Lawless, King Robert the Bruce and most recently Egyptian Pharaoh King Tutankhamun created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tut's tomb in 1922. The reconstruction was aired in a 2 hour feature movie on PBS on 23rd November 2022.
​
In 2023 Corbet commenced a life sitting with former Prime Minister Jean Chretien which will be unveiled formally at a later date. Corbet's portrait bust of Alexander Graham Bell for the Royal Canadian Navy was unveiled in 2025 at
​the naval museum in Halifax
​
From 2021-2024 Corbet sculpted an official portrait of HM The King Charles III for the Royal Canadian Navy which will also unveiled at the Naval Museum and immediately put in exhibit. Despite the sculpture being a low relief and intimate in size is garnered an official appraisal of over 100,000.00 thousand dollars.
​​​
Whether the portrait be sculpted or painted he has followed the philosophy that each must stand independent of any specific style "The portraits I create are as unique as the subject themselves. Why would I even attempt to make any two look or feel alike as that would be just copying." ​
​
Christian's main residence is in New Brunswick , Canada
where he resides and works in his four studios at Broadmoor Manor, a 1908 creation by the famed architect Edmund Burke.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
titles



























