For love of Florence

Tom Richards will soon be head of the Florence Academy of Art. He speaks to Arabella Youens

- Arabella Youens

AS an artist based in Florence, albeit with a toe in London, Tom follows in a long line of Britons who have been drawn to the city's domes and ravishing frescos since the days of the Grand Tour. Having established a home for himself nearly 20 years ago, he's amassed a following from the UK to Hong Kong. Many commissions are private, but he has done work for Balliol College, a former Lord Chief Justice, and the shoe designer and founder of Aquazzura, Edgardo Osorio. And it was Florence-in particular a visit when a young teenager-that encouraged these skills to flourish.

Tom was born in 1982. 'I grew up in a house in west London where most of the walls were covered with pictures and if they weren't they had bookshelves on them,' he explains. 'My parents are professionals, but my mother would take us to see a painting in the National Gallery regularly-just the one at a time from when we were little. It's the best way to introduce children to art without overwhelming them. Music was another constant.'