A Manston Memory - Douglas DC-4 - Invicta Airlines
Chris French FGAvA
Invicta International Airlines DC-4 on the pan at Manston, Kent in the mid 1960s
Chris French F.G.Av.A is quickly becoming one of the most recognised aviation artists in Britain and his aviation art prints and original paintings are becoming more popular year on year, Chris has been with Hansen since we formed in 2012, though he did not become a full-time professional artist until 2015. In the subsequent years his Aviation Art Prints, Blank Greetings Cards and Original Oil Paintings have become a cornerstone of our catalogue. Hailing from the Essex town of Braintree, his main interest has always been aviation, and his love of the RAF aircraft of his youth is clearly seen in his paintings. While RAF subjects from the 1970s-90s form the main part of his catalogue, Chris is very comfortable painting just about any subject imaginable and his many commissioned paintings include military vehicles and operations, naval vessels, cars, animals, portraits and landscapes. Clients for Chris' work have included major defence companies, the RAF, British Army and Royal Navy as well as a myriad of private collectors
He has exhibited aviation paintings at the RAF Museums at Hendon and Cosford, the Fleet Air Arm Museum and various other museums and galleries including the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. In addition, he has won multiple awards in the UK and US for his aviation art including the prestigious UK "Aviation Painting of the Year" award.
A long-time supporter of the Guild of Aviation Artists, Chris has held numerous posts, including magazine editor and Vice-Chairman before being elected to become its President in 2024, following in the footsteps of two icons in our field, Frank Wootton and Michael Turner.
He is also one of only seven members of the G.Av.A to be elected to the level of Fellow, the highest accolade that can be bestowed on an artist by the Guild.
Chris likes to research his subjects thoroughly and create images that are more than just a representation of the subject. His paintings often tell a story or convey a mood by representing a unique moment and experience for the viewer. Owning a Chris French print or original is more than just buying a painting, it is an experience and quite certain to evoke memories or feelings about the subject.
Would you like to commission Chris to complete a work of art for you? Please see our commissions page here https://hansenfineart.co.uk/pages/commissions
Invicta International Airlines DC-4 on the pan at Manston, Kent in the mid 1960s
Handley Page Victor 55 Squadron Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA A pair of 55 Squadron Handley Page Victor K2s...
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2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, Royal Guard Balmoral British Military Army Painting Art Print by Military Artist Chris French GAvA Ev...
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Westland Lynx HMS Iron Duke Royal Navy Aviation Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French GAvA The title for this painting comes from the cart...
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Sea Harrier FRS.1 HMS Hermes Falklands War 1982 Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA When Argentine forces invaded the Falk...
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Challenger I Operation Granby, Iraq 1991 - Queens Royal Irish Hussars Tank & Aircraft Painting Art Print by Chris French GAvA The Challenge...
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De Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 893 Squadron HMS Hermes Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA First shown at the Farnborough Ai...
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Bristol Bloodhound Missile Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French GAvA With its origins in the late 1940s, the Bloodhound ...
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Royal Navy Exercise, South Atlantic with Type 22 Frigate HMS London and Type 42 Destroyer HMS Edinburgh. In Chris French's Royal Navy Marine pa...
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BOAC Vickers VC-10 Airliner Aviation Art Painting by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA Built to an exacting brief laid down by BOAC, the VC-10...
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Martin B-26 Marauder 397th Bomb Group Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Upon arriving in the U.K, the 397th Bomb Group was assigned...
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Handley Page Victor Gulf War Aviation Aircraft Plane Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA With the loss of the Vickers Valiant tanke...
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RAF Chain Home Radar Network Art Plotters and Sector Station Aviation Art Print by Chris French GAvA In this work, Chris French recognises the ...
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Although many British tanks left much to be desired, the engineers and other arms were well equipped. One of the most ingenious of all British inve...
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The REME provided an invaluable service to the arms of service of the British Army and could be called upon to do any sort of job, from changing a ...
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Westland Wyvern Aviation Art Print by Chris French FGAvA Westland’s Wyvern has the honour of being the only turbo-prop attack aircraft ever to...
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Hawker Hurricane Battle Of Britain Aviation Art Print by Chris French GAvA With RDF (Radar) vectoring, the pilots of Fighter Command generally ...
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Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF14 RAF Night Fighter Jet Aviation Art Painting Print by Chris French FGAvA A pair of Gloster (Armstrong-Whitworth)...
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Panavia Tornado Operation Ellamy RAF Aviation Aircraft Plane Art Print by Chris French FGAvA A Tornado GR4 prepares to leave RAF Marham on a 3,000 ...
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Short Stirling Aviation Art Print by Chris French GAvA Short’s Stirling was the first of the four-engined bombers but suffered from numerous...
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Bomber Crew WWII Aviation Art Print by Chris French GAvA The long nights over Germany could be fraught with danger and worry for both aircre...
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Hawker Hurricane Mk.I Battle of Britain Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French GAvAFor many small boys WWII was as much an adventure as a time o...
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English Electric Lightning RAF Aviation Aircraft Plane Painting Art Print by Chris French GAvA The mach-2 English Electric Lightning protected ...
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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 'Sally B' (G-BEDF) is the only ai...
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Douglas World Cruiser Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Four aircraft, the Douglas World Cruisers, were specially built for the U.S. ...
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A Short Sunderland Mk III flying boat of RAF Coastal Command sits moored up in the early morning mist. The Sunderland was a long range patrol and r...
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HMS Exeter (D89) Type 42 Destroyer Royal Navy Warship Art Print by Artist Chris French GAvA HMS Exeter was a Type 42 (Batch 2) destroyer, the fif...
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Bristol Britannia C1 XL658 of 511 Squadron RAF Transport Command climbs against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania in the mid 1960s. Brita...
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Boeing B-17G USAAF 8th Air Force Aviation Art Print by Chris French FGAvA The painting depicts B-17G #44-8198 of the 526th Bomb Squadron / 379th ...
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Short Mayo Mercury Composite Aircraft Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA The two parts of the Short-Mayo Composite aircraft s...
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Boeing 787 Dreamliner El Al Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA EL AL Israel Airlines' first Boeing 787-9 Dreaml...
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Boeing 787 Dreamliner Air New Zealand Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner heads East o...
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Panavia Tornado 111 Squadron Gibraltar Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA Panavia Tornado F3 ZE257 of 111 Squadron on the...
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Concorde Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA Pre-production Concorde G-AXDN climbs on a test flight in the early...
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McDonnell-Douglas Phantom FG.1 43 Squadron Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA Inspired by the unique shapes and colours o...
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McDonnell-Douglas Phantom FGR.2 56 Squadron RAF Wattisham Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA With their Phantom days comi...
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McDonnell-Douglas Phantom F-4J (UK) 74 Squadron RAF Wattisham Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA With the deployment of 2...
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Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.13 39 Squadron Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA The night fighter variants of the venerab...
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Supermarine Spitfire 234 Squadron Aviation Art Painting Print by Aircraft Artist Chris French FGAvA Two Supermarine Spitfires of 234 Squadron R...
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Eurofighter Typhoon - 6 Squadron, RAF Aviation Art Jet Fighter Print by Aviation Artist Chris French GAvA Replacing the Panavia Tornado F.Mk.3,...
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Christopher Columbus 1492 Expedition flagship Santa Maria Painting by Chris French The flagship of the expedition led by Christopher Columbus i...
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Handley Page Halifax Aviation Art Print by Chris French FGAvA Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will forever be synonymous with Bomber Command during ...
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Avro Vulcan XH558 Aviation Art Print by Chris French FGAvA The Vulcan, as a descendent of the Lancaster, has a certain pedigree and became very...
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Gloster Javelin 60 Squadron Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Designed to a specification originating in 1947, the Gloster Javeli...
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Falklands War Black Buck Mission Handley Page Victor Refueller Painting by Chris French FGAvA The famous "Black Buck" mission of the 1982 Falklan...
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Royal Air Force BAe Harrier Aviation Art Painting Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA Still the only VTOL aircraft to ever successfully...
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Grumman F-14 Tomcat Aviation Art Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA Getting an aircraft off the pitching deck of a ship and to flying speed ...
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Short Sunderland Aviation Art Painting Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA The first Sunderland flew on 16th October 1937, with the first produc...
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Martin B-26 Marauder 394th Bomb Group US 9th Air Force Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Boreham airfield, just north of the Essex town of...
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Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX Post War Aviation Aircraft Plane Art Print by Chris French FGAvA With the coming of the jet-age, piston-engined air...
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Vickers Valiant Prototype V Bomber Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French GAvA Britain’s nuclear deterrent began with the introduction of th...
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Short Stirling Aviation Art Print by Chris French GAvA The cold, lonely nights over Germany were made much worse during winter. Here a Stirl...
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HMS Hotspur H Class Destroyer Royal Navy Warship Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA 18:30hrs, 20th October 1940. Royal Navy H-Class destroyer H...
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Boeing 747 Aer Lingus Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA Aer Lingus received its first 'Jumbo' in December 1970, w...
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Westland Lysander SOE WWII Aviation Art Oil Painting by Chris French FGAvA An RAF Westland Lysander IIIA (SD) of 161 Squadron crosses the French ...
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H.S Trident 3B Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA A BEA Trident 3B departs Malta in the late 1970s. This was the f...
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SkyBus DHC Twin Otter Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French FGAvA DHC Twin Otter of Isles of Scilly Skybus. The airline ope...
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Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1a of 66 Squadron RAF flown by Pilot Officer L.W. Collingridge
A Fairey Fulmar Mk II of 809 NAS and Hawker Sea Hurricane patrol over the Operation Pedestal convoy. HMS Victorious is below with RFA Brown Ranger ...
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RAF Lockheed C-130J (C Mk 5) Hercules ZH882 of 30 Squadron is bathed in late afternoon sun whilst on final approach to RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire UK in...
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Virgin Atlantic operated over 30 Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jets' starting in 1984 with a leased 200 series aircraft and retiring its last 400 series jet in...
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In the weeks leading up to D-Day, RAF Hawker Typhoon squadrons were tasked with attacking German military assets on the ground in France and Belgiu...
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Virgin Atlantic operated over 30 Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jets' starting in 1984 with a leased 200 series aircraft and retiring its last 400 series jet in...
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Lockheed C-130J Hercules Royal Air Force Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA RAF Lockheed C-130J (C Mk 5) Hercules ZH882 of 30 Squadron...
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Royal Air Force - Royal Saudi Air Force Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA The painting represents the longstanding relationship that ...
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The first Farnborough air show was held in 1948 and was a showcase for British aviation. The prototype Vickers Viscount turboprop designed by Georg...
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The illustrious Douglas Bader is seen here in his Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Va over a stunning cloudscape.
Boeing Chinook 78 Squadron RAF Helicopter Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Chinook HC1 ZA721 of 78 Sqn. RAF in the Falklands in early 1987,...
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Avro Vulcan Aircraft Plane Aviation Art Print by Artist Chris French FGAvA Ground crew sweep the snow from the huge delta wings of an Avro Vulcan...
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Original Aviation Art Oil on Canvas Painting of Gloster Javelins taking off from RAF Butterworth by Aviation Artist Chris French GAvA Designed ...
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Hawker Hurricane SEAC Aviation Painting Art Print by Aviation Artist Chris French GAvA A Hawker Hurricane of South East Asia Command (SEAC) has...
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McDonnell-Douglas Phantom F-4J (UK) 74 Squadron RAF Wattisham Aviation Art Print Painting by Artist Chris French FGAvA With the deployment of 2...
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1 Kinloch Chase
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Essex CM8 1QU