What happened to Rolf Harris’ painting of Queen Elizabeth II and how is his other artwork faring as he dies?

The late Rolf Harris, who passed away last month at the age of 93 following his battle with neck cancer, fell from favour almost a decade ago after he was convicted of sex offences.

Prior to his sentencing, Rolf enjoyed a career as an artist and entertainer spanning 60 years, gaining most of his recognition through his BBC programme Rolf on Art that ran from 2001 to 2007.

Towards the end of the broadcast, the BBC commissioned the late disgraced TV personality in 2005 to paint an oil portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for her 80th birthday. 

Before Rolf started painting, he said he wanted to capture the ‘real person rather than the state image’ and for it to capture ‘the way the Queen looks and her obvious charm and friendly quality, rather than the very formal’.

Rolf, who was initially appointed a CBE before the honour was revoked in 2015, enjoyed two sittings with the late monarch at Buckingham Palace, as seen through the BBC special ‘The Queen, by Rolf’.

The Australian-born artist finished the painting at his own art studio and took two months to complete before it was unveiled at the Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace in 2005 and was available for the public to see for six months.

During its display, which was voted the second best portrait of the Queen by the public despite not-so-positive critical reviews, Rolf’s reputation as an artist and the value of his other works grew in price.

Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery took ownership of the Queen’s portrait, in which she wears a turquoise dress, in 2012 but in the years since Rolf’s arrest, sentencing and subsequent death, the ownership and whereabouts of ‘The Queen, by Rolf’ are unknown.

While owners of the disgraced artist’s works may have been throwing them in the bin or selling them at auction for a fraction of the price a couple of years ago - as seen by an English auction house selling a £45,000 piece for just £7,000 and an eBay seller popping a painting up for just £899 in 2021 - has their value risen following Rolf’s death?

Following his conviction, the guide price for Rolf’s art decreased by over 50%, and although prices of paintings usually increase after the artist passes away, I am not too sure about the price tag of Rolf’s pieces considering his background.