This breathtaking painting was commissioned by Jon Crossley, Managing Director at Bentley Rolls-Royce & McLaren Manchester for their new car showroom in Wilmslow.
The original painting was unveiled at the official launch party and hangs proudly in the showroom. As with the McLaren commission, the brief was to create a painting that incorporated a portrait of Mr Rolls and Mr Royce along with the history of the company. James similarly created a composition which adopted a movie-poster style in order to encompass the many different aspects of that history in a visually striking way.
The Midland Hotel Manchester was an important reference to include as this was where the two met in 1904 and made the agreement to launch their luxury car business partnership. The painting incorporates many elements including a picture of Mr Rolls with his pioneering aircraft. A jet engine forms a significant background area of the composition which highlights the engineering prowess of the partnership as the company began to develop and manufacture aircraft engines.
