George Beare (1725? – 1749)

A highly talented local artist, taken from us in his prime, is George Beare, a skilled portrait painter with only about forty works credited to him. His death was announced by a short sentence in a small article in the Salisbury Journal of Monday May 22nd 1749: “Last Week died near Andover, Hants, Mr. Beare, lately an eminent Face Painter in this City.” Where was he born? Where did he live? Where did he work? Eventually it was identified that he lived in a building which stood where The Chapel now stands in Milford Street. A number of top art critics came from London for the plaque unveiling in December 2012. The Salisbury museum director brought along two of Mr Beare’s paintings from the museum and was very pleasantly surprised when the art critics valued his paintings at far more than he expected.