Leaving Australia at the age of 22, Rolf moved to London on what was supposed to be a year's study leave. He enrolled at the City & Guilds Art School in London, wanting to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become a portrait painter.

A chance meeting at Earl's Court tube station with Australian impressionist painter 'Bill' Hayward Veal changed his life. By complete chance Veal was running an art course at the time, which although Rolf couldn't afford, he went along to anyway. “In this class I tried to impress him with paints and board, but Bill gave me a stretch of canvas and told me to set up some bottles and other items in the corner. He gave me a rag, brush, turpentine and burnt sienna and told me to see how little paint I could use and keep correcting my work with the rag. I had to try and paint the whole picture at the time rather than isolate individual parts. I still do this now, starting off very rough and rugged and then refining later.”

Rolf's BBC television programme Rolf on Art attracted massive viewing figures, gaining the highest ratings ever for a programme on the visual arts in the history of British television. In 2002 Rolf received one of the greatest honours possible for any artist when the bulk of his work from the first two series of Rolf on Art, were exhibited for a month at the National Gallery in London.

In 2007 Rolf was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire), he is a member of the Order of Australia and has won many awards for his work in the entertainment history. Recently he was made an honorary member of the Royal Society of British Artists.

Rolf has earned the reputation of being one of the most significant figurative painters of our time, with his work being a living testimony to his artistic brilliance.

Rolf's paintings form an integral part of many significant international collections.