Disney has announced that Disney Legend Charles Boyer, Disneyland’s first full-time artist, passed away on February 8th of this year.
What’s Happening:
- Disney has announced the passing of their legendary artist Charles Boyer, who was Disneyland’s first full-time artist, on February 8th. A cause of death has not been announced at this time..
- Originally hired as a temporary portrait artist in 1960, remaining there for 39 years, Boyer became Disneyland’s first full time artist, and eventually becoming Disneyland’s master illustrator.
- Boyer got his art education and training with classes in high school, later enrolling in classes at the Chouinard Art Institute. The classes he took that focused on design and cartooning helped convince him to take a commercial art career path.
- Originally that portrait artist, he found himself in the marketing art department as an illustrator after six months, producing lithographs, magazine covers, brochures, flyers, and even oil portraits for retired employees throughout his 39 year career.
- Boyer was named a Disney Legend in 2005, 6 years after his retirement in 1999. Upon his retirement, Boyer shared “I’ve worked with such great people. My wife used to ask if I was actually getting any work done, because I was having so much fun.”
- Disney fans will surely recognize his work, with one of his most popular pieces being the “Triple Self Portrait” that features Mickey Mouse looking at himself in a mirror while painting an image of Walt Disney, a kind of parody to a similar work done by Norman Rockwell.
- Among his plethora of work, which also includes a famous painting of Mickey shaking the hand of a firefighter, he also did some unique pieces for park offerings, including Mickey’s Toontown, Light Magic, and Disney’s California Adventure.
Images Courtesy Van Eaton Galleries
- Boyer’s wife Ellen passed away prior to his own death, and he is survived by his two children, Bruce and Naomi.