MARY NEWCOMB
The rower and the dog: setting out light fading watercolour 26.3 x 39cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
M A R Y N E W C O M B‘ S O D D U N I V E R S E A Memorial Exhibition celebrating the work of Mary Newcomb (1922-2008)
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Crane Kalman Gallery, London
9th May 2009 - 28th June 2009
17th September 2009 - 31st October 2009
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery Shirehall, Market Avenue, Norwich NR1 3JQ Tel: 01603 493625 Fax: 01603 493623
CRANE KALMAN GALLERY Ltd 178 Brompton Road, London SW3 1HQ Tel: 020 7584 7566 Fax: 020 7584 3843 ckg.ltd@virgin.net www.cranekalman.com
Mary and the Newcomb’s gypsy caravan c1964
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Mar y Newcomb’s Odd Universe FIRE, EARTH, WATER, AIR Rural visionary Mary Newcomb (1922 -2008) was a self-taught painter whose work is both unique and universal – growing from her life on Waveney Valley farms in the 1950s to a late blooming in airy poetry. Mary Slatford was born in Harrow-on-the-Hill and raised in Wiltshire. She trained in science and first drew birds at Flatford Mill Field Studies Centre in 1945, meeting husband Godfrey Newcomb on a bittern-boosting trip to Walberswick soon afterwards. They farmed and potted as Mary found her vocation as a lyrical painter, which she was to pursue in a series of old Norfolk or Suffolk houses. She explored East Anglia on foot, bicycle, bus, train and boat, and also travelled further afield – from Orkney to the South of France – as an acute and almost invisible observer amassing notes, sketches and memories for odd pictures like visual poems. Praised by Ben Nicholson and collected by media stars, Mary Newcomb remained entirely unaffected, communicating the joy of living in the countryside amid rural rites and rituals and the wonders of nature. She is now one of Britain’s best-loved post-war painters, with works in many private and public collections.
This memorial exhibition, first at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and then at Crane Kalman Gallery in London (17th September - 31st October 2009), reveals all the elements of Newcomb’s extraordinary work as a former potter, moving via early earthy paintings and watery images to the poetry of flying things (insects, birds, balloons, planets). It is also a tribute to Andras Kalman (1919 - 2007), the artist’s key champion, who nurtured her fame with more than a dozen solo shows from 1970. All thanks go to Mary’s daughters Hannah and Tessa and to the private collectors who have generously lent their pictures. The film shot by Caroline McAdam Clark in Mary’s Suffolk studio in 2003 has been produced thanks to funds from the East Anglia Art Fund and Crane Kalman Gallery.
Ian Collins
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The boat party late evening 1988 oil on canvas 76 x 91.5cm
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The balloon race 1968 oil on board 71 x 81cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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The lady with a bunch of sweet williams 1988 oil on board 56 x 56cm
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These sheep find it necessary to cross the bridge 1979 oil on board 51 x 60.5cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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A flock of goldfinches dispersing 1993-5 oil on canvas 101.5 x 76cm
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The little lighthouse town 1980 watercolour 21.5 x 16cm
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The little lighthouse town 1982 oil on canvas 91.5 x 96.5cm
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River boat trip 1969 oil on board 61 x 72cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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Thinking on comets, man and beast 1974 oil on board 48 x 61cm
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Too much these dandelion lands 1974 oil on board 57.8 x 70.5cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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Girl with the dalmatian 1988 oil on board 53.5 x 56cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
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The court fields 1975 oil on board 75 x 91.5cm
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Suffolk clun-cross ewe with two lambs 1983 oil on canvas
Mary Newcomb Estate
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Boat in a low setting sun casting its shadow over the reeds as it passes 1986
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Shadow falling on a Tamworth sow 1991 oil on board 45.5 x 63cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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A hedge in November - spindle, sloe - old man’s beard - blackthorn - blackberry (with trailing goose grass) 1984 oil on canvas 91.5 x 129.5cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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Huts in a clearing 1970 oil on board 63.5 x 76cm
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Friars Hill, Blakeney Freshes, (shelducks leaving their rabbit holes in the morning) 1993 oil on board 56 x 66cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
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The butterfly arena (the castle ruins, Hyères) 1989 oil on canvas 134.5 x 103cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
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The demoiselles (a warm July evening Bradford-on-Avon) 1983 oil on canvas 127 x 165cm
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55 Insects on hogweed 1993 pencil and watercolour 28 x 38cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
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Lady in an unsprayed field seen in passing 1988 oil on board 60.9 x 44cm
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Red and yellow tulips 1998 oil on board 71 x 58.5cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
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The apple pickers feast 1971 oil on board 64.5 x 76cm
Crane Kalman Gallery
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The brooding rook’s heaven 2001 oil on canvas 101.5 x 91.5cm
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Late May evening 1998 oil on board 52 x 54.5cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
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Museums and Public Galleries that have acquired paintings from Crane Kalman Galler y Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen, Scotland
Arts Council of Great Britain, London, England
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Imperial War Museum, London, England
Baltimore Museum of Art, USA
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Museum of London, England
University Art Museum, Berkeley, California
Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, England
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston , USA
City Art Gallery, Manchester, England
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Felton Bequest, Melbourne, England
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA
Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin, USA
Dundee Art Gallery, Dundee, Scotland
Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
Kunstmuseum, D端sseldorf, Germany Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Andrew Dickinson White Museum of Art, Cornell University, New York, USA
Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries, Glasgow, Scotland
Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, USA
Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Louvre, Paris, France
City Art Gallery, Leicester, England
Western Australia Art Gallery, Perth, Australia
Musee des Beaux Arts, Le Havre, France
Rochdale Art Gallery, Rochdale, England
Musee Malraux, Le Harve, France
Museum of S達o Paulo, Brazil
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, England
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
Tate Gallery, London, England
National Gallery of New South Wales, Wellington
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Biography
Public Collections
1922
Tate Gallery, London
Mary Slatford born in Harrow-on-the-Hill
1943 Receives BSc in Natural Sciences from Reading University 1944-1950 Teaches science and mathematics at Bath High School; marries Godfrey Newcomb, farmer and later potter in 1950 1950-1971 Lives in Norfolk and has two daughters 1971-1981 Lives in Suffolk; in 1981 receives award from Eastern Arts Association 1984-1999 Lives outside Norwich
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich Arts Council of Great Britain Contemporary Art Society, London Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin Museum of Modern Art, New York National Gallery of New Zealand, Wellington Museum of São Paulo, Brazil
1999-2008 Lives in Suffolk
Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf
1987 The Contemporary Art Society acquires one painting; the Arts Council of Great Britain acquire two paintings
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, Norwich
1996-1997 A fully illustrated monograph written by Christopher Andreae is published by Crane Kalman in association with Lund Humphries The Tate Gallery, London acquires a large painting entitled ‘People Walking Amongst Small Sandhills’ 2003 Mary has a stroke in October and is no longer able to paint but still has a lively interest in looking at paintings 2006
Christopher Andreae’s monograph is re-printed
2008
Dies at Ipswich Hospital 29 March
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Chronological List of Work s Mary Newcomb’s Odd Universe Works are from Private Collections unless stated otherwise
Oil paintings 1
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Red boats 1965 oil on board 58.5 x 78.5cm
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Pippin on a painted table 1965-8 oil on board 68.5 x 53.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
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Bridge and estuary 1967 oil on board 74 x 90cm
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Sheep 1967 oil on board 68 x 73.5cm
Cork Harbour 1968 oil on board 75 x 75cm
Festival 1964 oil on board 63.5 x 91.5cm
Cowslips in moonlight 1967 oil on board 69 x 88cm
Moths and men with hay 1960 oil on board Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
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9
The balloon race 1968 oil on board 71 x 81cm
10 Two lighthouses on the bay 1968 oil on board 69 x 79cm
11 River boat trip 1969 oil on board 61 x 72cm
12 Passage from Hull 1969 oil on board 70 x 79cm Archant Art Collection
13 Huts in a clearing 1970 oil on board 63.5 x 76cm
14 The duck farm 1970 oil on board 51 x 61cm
15 Fishermen with beach fires 1971 oil on board 51 x 61cm
16 Bees 1971 oil on board 60 x 70cm
17 The apple pickers feast 1971 oil on board 64.5 x 76cm Crane Kalman Gallery
18 Field workers resting 1972 oil on board 68.5 x 71cm Mary Newcomb Estate
19 Too much these dandelion lands 1974 oil on board 57.8 x 70.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
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20 Thinking on comets, man and beast 1974 oil on board 48 x 61cm
21 The court fields 1975 oil on board 75 x 91.5cm
22 The fĂŞte 1976 oil on board Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
23 Girl jumping for sweet chestnuts 1976 oil on board 22 x 24cm
24 Jubilee Holton! 1977 oil on canvas 91.5 x 91.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
25 These sheep find it necessary to cross the bridge 1979 oil on board 51 x 60.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
26 A covered market hall, early morning, France 1980 oil on canvas 71.5 x 86.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
27 The little lighthouse town 1982 oil on canvas 91.5 x 96.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
28 May 11th 10pm 1983 Iris-Iraki Alcock, our new comet 1983 oil on board 49 x 58cm
29 The demoiselles (a warm July evening Bradford-on-Avon) 1983 oil on canvas 127 x 165cm
30 Suffolk clun-cross ewe with two lambs 1983 oil on canvas Mary Newcomb Estate
31 Four guinea fowl 1983 oil on canvas 91.5 x 61cm Crane Kalman Gallery
32 A hedge in November - spindle, sloe - old man’s beard - blackthorn blackberry (with trailing goose grass) 1984 oil on canvas 91.5 x 129.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
33 Sailing boat on the Yare 1984 oil on board 49 x 49cm
34 The chrysanthemum tent 1984 oil on canvas 91.5 x 91.5cm
35 The evening river trip 1985 oil on canvas 87 x 102cm Crane Kalman Gallery
36 Boat in a low setting sun casting its shadow over the reeds as it passes 1986 oil on canvas 106.7 x 128.3cm
37 The lady with a bunch of sweet williams 1988 oil on board 56 x 56cm
38 The boat party late evening 1988 oil on canvas 76 x 91.5cm
39 Lady in an unsprayed field seen in passing 1988 oil on board 60.9 x 44cm
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40 Girl with the dalmatian
46 Suffolk ewe sitting down
1988 oil on board 53.5 x 56cm Mary Newcomb Estate
1992 oil on canvas Mary Newcomb Estate
41 Wild flowers will soften the stiffest lady 1988 oil on board 86.5 x 64.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
42 The butterfly arena (the castle ruins, Hyères) 1989 oil on canvas 134.5 x 103cm Mary Newcomb Estate
43 The cockerel at the poultry show 1990 oil on board 51 x 45.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
44 Garden above the sea, Le Lavandou 1990 oil on canvas 71.5 x 56.5cm Crane Kalman Gallery
45 Shadow falling on a Tamworth sow 1991 oil on board 45.5 x 63cm Crane Kalman Gallery
47 Pippin 1993 oil on board 46 x 41.5cm
48 Friars Hill, Blakeney Freshes, (shelducks leaving their rabbit holes in the morning) 1993 oil on board 56 x 66cm Mary Newcomb Estate
49 A flock of goldfinches dispersing 1993-5 oil on canvas 101.5 x 76cm
50 An outing to see the seals, Blakeney 1994 oil on canvas 114.5 x 103cm Mary Newcomb Estate
51 Boats on the Waveney 1995/6 oil on canvas 101 x 101cm
52 Train in the heartlands of Norfolk (I am one of the moon faces that pass in the train) 1996 oil on canvas 45 x 49cm
53 Flowers on a painted table 1996 oil on canvas 86.5 x 71cm Mary Newcomb Estate
54 The cherry lovers 1996 oil on board 76 x 54.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
53 The cherry boat docking 1997 oil on board 73.5 x 73.5 Mary Newcomb Estate
56 Red and yellow tulips 1998 oil on board 71 x 58.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
57 Collared doves lifted by light 1998 oil on canvas 69 x 73.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
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58 Late May evening 1998 oil on board 52 x 54.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
59 Norfolk grey cockerel 1999 oil on board 53.5 x 58.5cm
60 Study for mullein moth caterpillar on leaf of buddleia globosa, mullein verbasculum nearby, month of July 2000 oil on board 48 x 40.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
61 Red-tailed bees on artichoke 2000 oil on board 51 x 35.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
62 Drift me home at the end of the day 2000 oil on board 61 x 46cm Mary Newcomb Estate
63 The brooding rook’s heaven 2001 oil on canvas 101.5 x 91.5cm
64 Women with blown skirts 2001 oil on board 52 x 43cm Mary Newcomb Estate
65 Young peacock in an astonished garden 2003 oil on board 51 x 61cm Mary Newcomb Estate
66 Goldfinches oil on board 28 x 26.5cm
Work on paper 67 Fenland Orchard Elisabeth Vellacott: (1905 -2002) c1970 lithograph 30.5 x 43cm
68 Ewes watching shooting stars 1990 pencil and watercolour 28 x 25.5cm
69 The rook 2002 watercolour 37 x 28.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
70 The rower and the dog: setting out light fading: returning in the dusk watercolour 91.5 x 45.5cm Mary Newcomb Estate
71 Weasel moving young mixed media 32 x 24 cm Mary Newcomb Estate
72 The little lighthouse town watercolour 21.5 x 16cm
73 Blackbirds in a crabapple tree watercolour 19.5 x 12cm
74 Green Woodpeckers watercolour 20.5 x 29cm
75 Insects on hogweed pencil and watercolour 28 x 38cm
76 Bombus terrestris (buff-tailed bumble bee) and other bees pencil and watercolour 19 x 30.5cm
77 House Martins pencil and watercolour 33 x 25.5cm
78 Workers being lowered as the sun goes down pencil and watercolour 30.5 x 20cm
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79 Beetles drinking in a shrinking puddle pencil and watercolour 26.5 x 20.5cm
80 Fox pencil and watercolour 20.5 x 15cm
81 Photographs: a selection of eleven photographs dating from 1940 - 1990s photographs
82 Portfolio of birthday/ Xmas cards 83 Ewe and lamb pencil 32 x 26cm
84 Old ewe watercolour 33 x 42cm
85 Pheasants watercolour 19 x 24cm
86 Dorset ewe watercolour 25.5 x 28cm
87 Ewe watercolour 55 x 44cm
Ceramics and furniture 88 Bowl c1958 ceramic 11cm high
89 Jug c1958 ceramic 15.5cm high
90/ A group of five pots - three plates, 94 a jug and a mug ceramic
95 Colander decorated by Mary ceramic 9.5cm high, 18cm diameter
96 Mary’s jug - in her room at Priory Paddocks ceramic 21cm high
97 Jug by Godfrey Newcomb, 1950’s (shown in Red and yellow tulips painting) ceramic 28cm high
98 Ceramic cradle ceramic 18 x 24.5 x 13 cm Mary Newcomb Estate
99 Painted table c1960 painted wood 69cm high, 74cm diameter
The rower and the dog: returning in the dusk watercolour 30.3 x 38.3cm
Mary Newcomb Estate
Four guinea fowl 1983 oil on canvas 91.5 x 61cm
Crane Kalman Gallery