Tam is delighted to have been painted by the famous artist Zohar. Zohar met Tam, bought some of his books, and was inspired to paint him. Tam is being presented with the original on the weekend of the 12th September.

Zohar was born in the USSR in 1945. After 4 years of wandering as refugees across Europe, his family came to live in Israel. Zohar showed great love and talent for classical art, and began his studies of drawing and painting at the age of 13. He studied at the Art Academy in Jerusalem, and after winning the first prize and grant from the Israel-American Culture Foundation he went to study classical techniques with the Viennese master Ernst Fuchs.

In 1970 he began an international career with exhibitions in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Paris, Basel, Geneva and Dusseldorf.

In 1986 he left Israel in protest against the Israeli government’s occupation of Palestine and actions toward the Palestinian people.

Settling in London, a flourishing career followed immediately. Zohar was invited to do the portrait of Henry Catto, the American ambassador to the court of St. James. In 1990, he was commissioned to do the portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales, for the 13/18 Regiment of the Royal Hussars (Queen Mary’s Own).

In 1996 he was invited to exhibit at the Museum Panorama Mesdag, in a solo show— ‘Reflections: Homage to Vermeer’—concurrently with the comprehensive exhibition of Vermeer in the Hague. Since then he did commissions for the Middle Temple in London, and for the City Hall in Belfast, as well as a large group portrait of the High Court of Justice, now hanging at the Middle Temple.

A new project involving the BBC is currently underway.