Stephen Wiltshire

Stephen Wiltshire MBE, Hon.FSAI, Hon.FSSAA (born 24 April 1974) is a British architectural artist. He is known for his ability to draw from memory a landscape after seeing it just once. His work has gained worldwide popularity.

In 2006, Wiltshire was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to art. In the same year, he opened a permanent gallery on the Royal Opera Arcade in London.

Early life

Stephen Wiltshire was born in London, England, in 1974 to West Indian parents, His father, Colvin was a native of Barbados, and his mother, Geneva, is a native of St. Lucia. He grew up in Little Venice, Maida Vale, London. Wiltshire was mute when young. At the age of three, he was diagnosed as autistic. The same year, his father died in a motorbike accident.

At the age of five, Wiltshire was sent to Queensmill School in London where he expressed interest in drawing. The instructors at Queensmill School forced him to speak by temporarily taking away his art supplies so that he would be forced to ask for them. Stephen responded by making sounds and eventually uttered his first word—"paper." He learned to speak fully at the age of nine. His early illustrations depicted animals and cars; he is still extremely interested in American cars and is said to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of them. When he was about seven, Wiltshire became fascinated with sketching landmark London buildings. After being shown a book of photos depicting the devastation wrought by earthquakes, he began to create detailed architectural drawings of imaginary cityscapes. He began to communicate through his art. His teachers encouraged his drawing, and with their aid Wiltshire learned to speak at the age of five.