About Anne London

Anne the Artist

Artist Anne London has been painting African wildlife since 1982 and working and drawing in Africa since 1999. Over the last 30 years, she has worked with numerous international conservation organizations to preserve African wildlife.

Anne's artistic abilities were apparent at an early age when she began selling her artwork professionally in Los Angeles while still in junior high school. She graduated from California State University, where she developed her talents under the tutelage of renowned artist and educator, Saul Bernstein.

She first discovered she could combine her two passions -- art and animals -- while working with film actress Tippi Hedren in Los Angeles. Tippi is the founder of Shambala, a refuge in California for big cats, elephants and many other endangered species. Anne has since developed a remarkable career as an internationally acclaimed artist and champion of animal conservation.

Anne's immigrant parents encouraged her to expand her talents as they explored their new country and its wildlife. Those combined interests have taken her to Africa, Asia and all over the Americas in pursuit of her subject matter: endangered species. "The commercial art world was not for me," she says. "All I could think about were those animals and the problems they faced as a species. I wanted future generations to be able to experience the magnificence of seeing these beautiful animals living in their native habitat."

-Portraits of the Wild- By A.E. London from A.E. London Studio

Destiny

Anne can't remember the exact day she decided she would be an artist. "I have always known, even as a small child, where my destiny was headed," she says.

She's had the privilege of meeting and supporting many of the founders of the world's most effective wildlife preservation organizations. Anthropologist Robert Leakey, cheetah conservationist Laurie Marker and renowned primatologist Jane Goodall have all influenced her work. Anne says she is proud her artwork has been able to help support important wildlife conservation and preservation work in the U.S. and abroad.

Influenced by Travel

Anne's mission to combine art and wildlife advocacy has led her repeatedly to Africa, Asia and other wild locations, where she witnesses animals first hand and records the face of nature through her "Portraits of the Wild." She draws only what she sees and viscerally feels from the animals while immersed in their native habitat.

Now in her fourth decade as a fine artist, Anne expertly uses her work to raise both money and awareness for endangered animals. She is active in several animal conservation organizations and serves on the board of directors for the Project Hope Foundation. Both the International Rhino Foundation and The Cheetah Conservation Foundation have named her as a signature artist, and she often designs their fundraising images.

Anne's Work

Anne's current body of work using charcoal and water media evolved from years of meticulously handcrafting her highly acclaimed engravings. "I loved the classic stunning effect of engraved art, but the process was just too wearing on my body," she says. "It was an obstacle that turned into a blessing when I saw how my artistic expression changed and how much more alive my art became."

She regularly travels to Africa, bringing back field sketches to form the base of the next year's work. She also travels across the United States each year, exhibiting at 12 to 15 art shows and exhibitions to keep in touch with her friends and collectors, as well as to maintain ties with the zoo and conservation communities. At these events, which are often sponsored by museums, she has won innumerable "Best in Show" awards.

Her work has gained critical acclaim from both the art world and scientific community. She has earned many other prestigious awards, including the Society of Animal Artists' Award of Excellence, and has been featured in magazines such as Wildlife Art News and the Wildlife Journal. She was chosen several times by the Society of Animal Artists for its "The Art and The Animal Tour." Anne has also appeared on Animal Planet and broadcast television.

"When I look at a lion, I see its uniqueness as an intelligent being," Anne says. "All animals have a rich interior full of emotions. To ignore that fact is to miss something significant we share."

Looking at one of Anne's pieces, one of the first elements a viewer connects with is the animal's personal natural and emotions. Anne has honed her intricate skills through years of studying wildlife anatomy in native habitats and in surgeries. But it's the intimate connection the viewer feels to the animal that she brings to the easel. She strives to create a genuine empathy for what she calls "the other earthlings." It's that connection that has driven Anne to work for the preservation of wildlife across the planet.

Anne's journey eventually led her to the "wilds" of Louisiana, where she moved to join her now-husband Jim Hart in 2010. Anne and Jim, both experienced travelers in Africa, crossed paths in Zanzibar several years ago and their relationship blossomed. Jim, who is active in ocean research and marine conservation efforts worldwide, also revolved his life around wildlife, environmental action and art. The couple just finished renovating their home, designed in an African-Asian style, in Mandeville, near New Orleans. Anne has her studio and workshop there, and the couple enjoys living with their three dogs in a natural, country environment. Breva, the Belgian horse Anne raised from a colt and donated to a nearby therapeutic riding facility, is just a short drive away.

Along with keeping Anne's artistic commitments, she and Jim volunteer weekly at the New Heights therapeutic riding facility, where they help veterans, adults and children with disabilities to ride horseback. As avid outdoor enthusiasts, they are also active SCUBA divers. Through the Diveheart Foundation, they help folks with disabilities to train for and participate in SCUBA diving trips to the Caribbean.

Sharing Her Passion

Anne's work can be seen at several wildlife preservation and breeding institutions, municipal zoos and galleries in cities including Aspen, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Jackson, Wyoming. One of her most well-known sculptural pieces is a large bronze mountain lion sculpture in the center of the Santa Barbara Zoo in California.

Private collectors around the world continue to collect and exhibit Anne's artwork, along with several international corporations, hospitals, conservation foundations and public figures. Her work and techniques are currently included in the teaching curriculum of the California Academy of Art and several other internationally recognized art institutions. Based on her experiences and life's work, she was recently chosen by the Florida Zoological Society for an exclusive exhibition to benefit their conservation fund.

Anne travels to Africa each year to visit friends and fellow conservationists, and to bring back field sketches and photographs of her beloved wildlife. Anne then bases her "Portraits of the Wild" on her real-life experiences in the African bush.

In 2016, she presented the President of Botswana and their minister of Wildlife and Environment with original art pieces to show her support for their strong wildlife conservation stand against trophy hunting and wildlife poaching.

In 2019 ,she received the Simon Combes lifetime achievement award by the international Artists for Conservation organization, and her artwork has been chosen for their Annual international exhibition for the past several years.

Today ,she works with Jim to develop lesson plans and teaching materials for ARTS FOR ANIMALS partners. While in Africa, she works with teachers to develop their skills in teaching conservation and creativity and mentors gifted art students. She also acts as a mentor and role model for ARTS FOR ANIMALS scholarship recipients.

Although Anne has always dedicated her life to the protection and preservation of the animals she loves, it's through her work with Arts for Animals that she feels the most confidence and satisfaction that she is making a change in the future of the planet's wildlife.

Her Art Distribution

Anne is proud to be exhibited in the following public and private collections:

Al Giddings, Underwater Cinematographer, Film Producer, CA
Ally Sheedy, Actress, Film Producer, CA
Artists for Conservation International Exhibit
Darryl McFadden, Deputy Director, Detroit Zoo, MI
Dr. Ellis Greiner, Active Chair UCF Gainesville Veternarian School, FL
Farley Mowat, Conservationist, Author, Canada
Frank Murru, Director, Sea World Orlando, FL
Frederika Kaestle, Dept. of Anthropology, Yale University, CT
Gainesville University Art Exhibition, FL
Häagen-Dazs Corporate Headquarters Collection
INTEL Corporate Headquarters Collection, CA
International Rhino Foundation Headquarters, FL
Ivan Tors, Filmmaker, Producer, CA
Jack Hanna, Director Columbus Zoo, OH
Jack Pierson, Curator of Mammals, Sea World Orlando, FL
Jean Philip Cousteau, Filmmaker, Producer, Marine Conservationist
Jerry Boren, Director, Columbus Zoo, OH
John Denver, Personal Estate Collection, Musician, Filmmaker
Laurie Marker, Director, Cheetah Conservation Foundation, Africa
Larry Marton, Dean of Medicine, Madison, WI
Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkley, CA
Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
Lubee Foundation, FL
Marine Mammal Center ,CA
Marine World Africa USA, CA
Marius Kruger, Head Warden, Kruger National Park, South Africa
Miami Children's Hospital, FL
Miami Metrozoo, FL
Miami Police Dept.,, FL
National Fish and Wildlife, Washington, DC
Nature Conservancy Corp., CA
NBC Studios, CA
Richard Leakey, International Conservationist, Anthropologist, Africa
Robert Redford, Sundance Institute, UT
Ron Magill, International Conservationist, Author, Director, Miami Zoo
Santa Barbara Zoo, CA
Scott Earnest, CEO, Cessna/Textron Corporation
Sea World Orlando, FL
Senator Quentin Kopp, CA
Stephen Spielberg, Film Producer, Director, Wyoming Home
St. Louis Zoo, MO
St. Tammany Women's Hospital Healing Collection
The Wilds, Endangered Species Breeding and Survival Center, OH
Tippi Hedren, Actress, Film Producer, Animal Conservationist, CA
United States Fish and Wildlife Department, Washington, DC
University of Wisconsin, WI
Former Vice President Al Gore, Family home
White Oak Foundation, FL


View Anne's Website