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The 1 Most Famous John Berry Paintings, Each One of a Kind
Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 1 works by John Berry in our catalogue
In short
The Brunner Family (1947) is the John Berry painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Greys Court. Among the 1 works of John Berry in our catalog, these 1 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
1920 – 2009
Most works: Greys Court
Top 10 paintings by John Berry, through the gallery's eye
The museums that keep John Berry's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by John Berry | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Greys Court |
1 | The Brunner Family |
John Berry across the years: the unique originals of each
All the dated John Berry originals shown here belong to a single year, 1947: they appear in order of fame.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
John Berry's paintings: questions for the gallery
What is the single most famous work of John Berry?Reveal the answer
The Brunner Family (1947).
At what age did John Berry create The Brunner Family?Reveal the answer
27 years old: The Brunner Family dates from 1947, and John Berry was born in 1920.
How many works by John Berry are known?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 1 works by John Berry.
Where can the most famous John Berry originals be seen?Reveal the answer
Mostly in Greys Court. The museum table above lists them all.
John Berry: a portrait of the artist
A Life of Illustration and War
Born in Hammersmith, West London, John Berry was a British illustrator and painter who displayed early artistic talent. After studying at the Hammersmith School of Art, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools, though he was unable to attend due to the outbreak of World War II. During the conflict, from 1941 to 1944, he served as an official war artist attached to the Eighth Army in North Africa and Egypt. His wartime paintings, such as '25 Pounder in action at Alamein', were exhibited at the National Gallery and moved to the Imperial War Museum.
His career was marked by a remarkable ability to reconstruct scenes through sketches and photographs. He painted witty and frivolous genre scenes set in the 17th century, as well as depictions of the Moslem world, including interiors, palaces, and scenes of people at prayer or playing chess.
Illustrations and Portraits
Berry is widely recognized for his prolific work in book illustration and advertising. Between 1961 and 1978, he illustrated thirty-five Ladybird books, including the "People at Work" series and the "Hannibal the hamster" series. He also contributed to publications for Corgi, Penguin, and Reader's Digest. In the realm of advertising, he created the iconic Esso tiger adverts, famously responding to a request for a tiger with the phrase, "Yes, put a tiger in your tank."
As a portrait painter, Berry's subjects included high-ranking military staff and prominent figures such as:
His works are held in various collections, including the Imperial War Museum London and the Maidstone Museum of Bentlif Art Gallery.