EDWARD SEAGO 2014 PORTLAND GALLERY
PORTLAND GALLERY
EDWARD SEAGO
EDWARD SEAGO 1 1 J U NE - 9 J U LY 2 0 1 4
Monday – Friday 10 am – 6 pm and by appointment
P ORT LAN D GA L L E RY 8 BENNET STREET T E L E P H O N E 020 7493 1888
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LONDON SW1A 1RP
EMAIL sidonie@portlandgallery.com
www.portlandgallery.com Front cover: The Furrow
Oil on board
22 x 36 ins
Catalogue no.16
EDWARD SEAGO
When I was approached by the Portland Gallery to write a book about Edward Seago I had little idea of the adventure ahead. Having lived in Norwich for several years I was familiar with his East Anglian landscape paintings, which I associated with those of his predecessors John Sell Cotman and John Crome, but beyond that I was aware only that he had enjoyed a long friendship with HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. So not entirely a blank canvas, but close to it. Over the following two years a portrait of Seago – Ted, as he was always known by friends – gradually took shape, and I realised that this was no ordinary artist. His education, for a start, was far from conventional, since he was confined to bed for much of his childhood by a chronic heart condition. Yet he was impetuous and determined and, having made up his mind at an early age that he could only be an artist, he asked Bertram Priestman RA for technical help and sought patronage from Lady Evelyn Jones, daughter of the 4th Earl Grey.
1. Sunlight After Storm, Windsor Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 26 x 36 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London, circa 1955 Private Collection
Exhibited:
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Edward Seago Memorial Exhibition, 4 December - 3 January 1975, cat.no.6
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.89, illustrated, p.84
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With their support the nineteen year-old Seago held his first solo exhibition in London and was an overnight success, although these early paintings of horses and their riders owed rather too much to Alfred Munnings. This didn’t prevent him seeking advice from the great man, who suggested he apply to the RA schools. Instead, after only a term at Norwich School of Art, Seago went off to join a circus as a sort of artist in residence, and for the next three years travelled constantly. As well as producing a remarkable body of paintings and drawings, Seago found inspiration for a lively autobiographical book, ‘Circus Company’, which he wrote with the help of poet laureate John Masefield. The pair went on to collaborate on several titles, including ‘The Country Scene’ – a sumptuous quarto volume filled with Masefield’s poetry and Seago’s evocative paintings – and ‘Tribute to Ballet’, at which point war intervened.
When Seago was commissioned to the Royal Engineers in the autumn of 1939 he took the opportunity provided by his first full time job to take stock of his career, which had so far perhaps given him more success than fulfilment. His first childhood sketches had been of the everchanging sky, and he now perceived that his true vocation lay here, in the study of light and atmosphere. There would be notable achievements in portraiture, particularly two paintings of Queen Elizabeth II on horseback, but Seago otherwise devoted the second half of his life to landscape painting. His vision was wide-ranging. Factories and building sites interested him as much as Norfolk beaches; he was inspired equally by sparkling Venetian canals and the dirty skies of a London winter. A great admirer of John Constable’s oil sketches, he painted rapidly, with expressive brushwork that he rarely attempted to conceal, and in later life worked from memory. Having trained his mind to recall the significant details of any scene, he astounded house guests with his ability to paint faraway places in his Norfolk studio. As evidenced by this exhibition he was, as HRH the Duke of Edinburgh put it, like a conjuror pulling rabbits out of a hat. And, yes, his best work has a touch of magic.
James Russell, April 2014
James Russell is an independent author, lecturer and curator who specialises in 20th Century British art and design. Having written acclaimed books on Nash and Ravilious for The Mainstone Press, he has written a biography of Edward Seago which will be co-published by Lund Humphries and Portland Gallery in June 2014.
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EARLY WORKS
2. After The Ploughing Match Signed and dated ‘36’ (lower right) Oil on canvas 16 x 20 ins Provenance:
Private Collection
Literature:
John Masefield, The Country Scene, Collins, London, 1937, illustrated, p.83 James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.30, illustrated, p.35
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3. The Tight Roper Walker Signed and dated ‘32’ (lower right) Oil on canvas 18 x 24 ins Provenance:
Private Collection
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.31, illustrated, p.36
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4. Bombed Houses, Yarmouth
5. Route 65 Out Of Florence
Oil on canvas board 12 x 16 ins
Signed (lower right) Pen and ink 12 x 16 ins Executed in 1944
Provenance:
Thomas Gibson Fine Art Ltd., London The Fine Art Society, London, where purchased by the present owner, September 1999
Exhibited:
London, The Fine Art Society, Edward Seago's War Paintings, September 1999, cat.no. 2
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.42, illustrated, p.46
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Provenance:
Private Collection
Literature:
Edward Seago, With The Allied Armies In Italy, Collins, London, 1945, illustrated, plate 45 James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.48, illustrated, p.54
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EAST ANGLIA
6. Landscape With A Locomotive Signed (lower left) Oil on panel 8½ x 10½ ins Provenance:
Gifted by the artist to the father of the previous owner
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.56, illustrated, p.60
7. Wolferton Church, Norfolk Signed with initials (lower left) Oil on panel 8½ x 10½ ins Provenance:
Gifted by the artist to the father of the previous owner
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.57, illustrated, p.60
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9. Carting The Marsh Hay
8. A Norfolk Landscape Signed with initial (lower left) Oil on board 8 x 10 ins Provenance:
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Gifted by the artist to Miss Jean Carr Abbott and Holder, London, where purchased by the present owner
Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 26 x 36 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the grandmother of the previous owner circa 1960
Literature:
Jean Goodman, Edward Seago, The Other Side of the Canvas, Collins, London 1978, p.200 James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.105, illustrated, p.99
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10. A Suffolk Fishing Village Signed (lower left) Watercolour 14½ x 22 ins Exhibited:
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Edward Seago, Paintings and Watercolours, April - May 1978, cat.no.36
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.114, illustrated, p.107
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11. Suffolk Village Bears estate stamp (lower left) Oil on board 14 x 20 ins Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.78, illustrated, p.74
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12. Beach Huts, Norfolk Signed (lower left) Oil on board 14 x 20 ins Provenance:
Marlborough Fine Art, London
Exhibited:
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Edward Seago, English Landscapes, Recent Oil Paintings, November - December 1968, cat.no.34
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13. Brancaster Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 20 x 26 ins Provenance:
Private Collection
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15. Thames Barges Racing On The Orwell 14. Thames Barge Off Landguard Point Signed (lower left) Oil on board 16 x 24 ins Provenance:
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Stacy Marks, Eastbourne
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 16 x 24 ins Provenance:
Marlborough Fine Art, London, where purchased by the present owner's family in 1969 Thence by descent
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16. The Furrow Signed (lower left) Oil on board 22 x 36 ins Provenance:
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P & D Colnaghi, London Private Collection
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17. Approaching Storm, Suffolk
18. The Gleam
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 16 x 24 ins
Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 26 x 36 ins
Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the previous owner's uncle
Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London Private Collection
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.122, illustrated, p.113
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.81, illustrated, p.77
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20. Snow On The Beach, Great Yarmouth 19. The Spritsail Barge Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 26 x 36 ins Provenance:
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P & D Colnaghi, London Marlborough Fine Art, London, where purchased by the present owner's father
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 14 x 20 ins Provenance:
Richard Green, London
Literature:
Ron Ranson, Edward Seago, The Vintage Years, David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 2003, illustrated, p.89 James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.203, illustrated, p.176
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21. Cottages By An Essex Estuary Signed (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 20 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the previous owner's husband
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.79, illustrated, p.75
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22. The Deben At Woodbridge Signed (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 20 ins Provenance:
W. H. Patterson, London, where purchased by the previous owner's uncle
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23. A Norfolk Barn Signed (lower left) Oil on board 26 x 36 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London Blair Laing Gallery, Toronto, where purchased by the previous owner's family, January 1961
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.82, illustrated, p.78
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24. October Morning – Horning, Norfolk
25. The Marsh Track
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 20 x 30 ins
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 20 x 30 ins
Provenance:
Literature:
28
Blair Laing Gallery, Toronto, where acquired by the present owners father in the 1960s
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.77, illustrated, p.73
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26. Turf Fen Signed (lower left) Watercolour 14 x 21 ins Provenance:
Marlborough Fine Art, London, where purchased by the previous owner
27. Flood Water, Near Beccles Oil on board 12 x 16 ins Provenance:
30
Gifted by the artist to Miss Pepita Ramsey Fairfax Christie's, London, 10 June 1983 Spink, London, where purchased by the present owner
28. Hall Fen Loke, Norfolk Signed (lower left) Oil on board 22 x 36 ins Provenance:
Private Collection, South Africa
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29. Horsey Mill, Norfolk
30. The Yare at Harford Bridge, Norfolk
Signed and dated ‘50’ (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 16 ins
Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 12 x 16 ins
Provenance:
Provenance:
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P & D Colnaghi, London Private Collection
Frost & Reed, London Private Collection, USA
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I TA LY
31. The Leaning Palazzo Signed (lower left) Oil on board 20 x 26 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.167, illustrated, p.147
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32. Gondolas By The Salute, Venice Signed (lower left) Oil on board 26 x 36 ins Provenance:
Marlborough Fine Art, London Private Collection
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.173, illustrated, p.153
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33. Scuola di San Marco, Venice Signed (lower left) Watercolour 15 x 22 ins Provenance:
Marlborough Fine Art, London, Richard Green, London, where purchased by the present owner in 2005
Exhibited:
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Edward Seago, Paintings and Watercolours, November 1972, cat.no. 57
34. S. Vidal, Venice Bears studio stamp (lower left) Watercolour 15 x 21 ins Provenance:
Literature:
38
Estate of Edward Seago Spink, London, where purchased by the previous owner James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.171, illustrated, p.151
35. A Square In Como Signed (lower left) Watercolour 10 x 15 ins Provenance:
Richard Green, London, where purchased by the present owner
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37. Outside St Peter’s, Rome Signed (lower left) Watercolour 14 x 20 ins 36. Sunlit Boats, Chioggia
Exhibited:
Signed (lower left) Watercolour 10 x 15 ins
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Edward Seago Memorial Exhibition, 4 December - 3 January 1975, cat.no.82
Literature:
Francis Hawcroft, Edward Seago, A Review Of The Years 1953-1964, Collins, London, 1965, cat.no.50, illustrated
Provenance:
40
P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the previous owner
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EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA
38. The Rond Pond, Tuileries Gardens, Paris Signed (lower left) Oil on canvas 26 x 36 ins Provenance:
Frost & Reed, London, where purchased by the present owner’s parents
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39. Grand Bassin Octagonal, Tuileries Gardens
40. Fishing Boats On The Beach, Cascais
Oil on board 12 x 16 ins
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 16 ins
Provenance:
44
Estate of Edward Seago Thence by descent
Provenance:
Private Collection
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41. Richmond River Scene Signed (lower left) Watercolour 10 x 14 ins Provenance:
Stacy Marks, Eastbourne Private Collection
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.135, illustrated, p.123
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42. Low Tide, Strand-On-The-Green Signed (lower left) Oil on board 18 x 24 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the present owner
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44. The Fish Quay, Honfleur 43. The Inner Basin, Ostend Signed and dated ‘50’ (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 16 ins Provenance:
48
Private Collection
Signed (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 20 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London W. H. Patterson, London, where purchased by the previous owner's uncle
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45. Sunlight and Shadow in the Souk, Marrakech Signed (lower left) Oil on board 11 x 14 ins Provenance:
Blair Laing Gallery, Toronto Private Collection, Canada
Exhibited:
Possibly London, Marlborough Fine Art, Edward Seago Memorial Exhibition, 4 December -3 January 1975, cat.no.87
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46. The Pink Fishing Boat, Nafplion, Greece Signed (lower left) Oil on board 20 x 30 ins Provenance:
P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the previous owner's parents
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STILL LIFE
48. Cactus And Catalogues Signed and dated ‘51’ (lower left) Oil on board 12 x 16 ins 47. Summer Flowers
Provenance:
Watercolour 15 x 10 ins
Thomas Gibson Fine Art, London Spink, London
Exhibited:
London, Thomas Gibson Fine Art , cat.no.156
Literature:
James Russell, Edward Seago, Lund Humphries, London, 2014, cat.no.124, illustrated, p.115
Provenance:
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P & D Colnaghi, London, where purchased by the previous owner
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EDWARD SEAGO Biography
Exhibitions
1962
Commissioned by John Swire (Chairman of the
1929
Arlington Gallery, London
1981
Marlborough Fine Art, Mandarin Hotel, Hong Kong
1910
Born in Norwich 31 March at 13 Christchurch Road
1933
Sporting Gallery, London (again 1934, 1937)
1981
Richard Green Gallery, London (regularly since)
1924
The Family moved to Brooke, Norfolk
Far Eastern Trading & Shipping Group) to paint a
1936
Alpine Club Gallery, London (again 1937)
1981
Thomas Gibson Fine Art Ltd, London (again 1987)
1930 -33
Spent most of his time with travelling circuses in
series of landscapes of Hong Kong.
1938
Carstairs Gallery, New York
1981
Coe Kerr Gallery, New York
Great Britain and on the Continent.
Retrospective loan exhibition at the Castle
1939
Medici Gallery, London
1987
Spink and Son Ltd., London
1933
Published his first book, Circus Company
Museum, presented by Norwich Corporation.
1944
Castle Museum, Norwich
1992
John Noott Galleries, Broadway
1935
Drawing for magazines including Punch and
1964 1966
First painting trip to Greece. First painting trip to Morocco; returned in 1967
1944
City Art Gallery, Bristol
1999
Fine Art Society, Edward Seago's War Paintings
spending his time between the family home in
1945
P & D Colnaghi, London (regularly until 1967)
2002
Portland Gallery, London (again 2004, 2007)
Norfolk and his London Studio in Chelsea.
1946
Castle Museum, Norwich (Italian War Pictures);
2006
Jeremy Taylor Gallery, London (regularly – 2012)
City Art Gallery, Bristol
2010
1948
Annan Gallery, Glasgow
2012
1950
The Assembly House, Norwich
1950
Laing Gallery, Toronto (regularly in 1950s)
1952
Kennedy Gallery, New York (again 1954, 1956,
Edward Seago was represented by P & D
1939-44
Served with the Royal Engineers
1944
Invited by Field Marshal Alexander to work in
The Royal Collection
Italy during the Italian Campaign
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
1945
Acquired the Dutch House, Ludham
National Trust
and 1968.
Published the first of three books produced in
1971
First painting trip to Istanbul.
Portland Gallery, London (Centenary Exhibition)
ollaboration with John Masefield. Spent three
1974
Died 19th January.
Portland Gallery, London (Diamond Jubilee
months in Monte Carlo making studies of the
Exhibition)
ballet in rehearsal and then went with the
1937
company to New York.
Works in Public Collections
1959, 1961)
Colnaghi, London, then Marlborough Fine
1952
Watson Gallery, Montreal
Art, London.
1953
Oslo / Bergen, Norway
1954
King’s Lynn Festival (Loan Exhibition)
Thomas Gibson Fine Art represented the
1946
Elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists
Government Art Collection
1954
Cowie Gallery, Los Angeles (again 1962)
Estate of Edward Seago until 2009.
1951
First painting trip to Holland; returned in 1953,
Royal Air Force Museum
1957
St James’s Palace, London
1954 and 1969.
Southend Museums Service
1958
Galerie Breughel, Brussels (again 1960)
Portland Gallery has represented the Estate of
First painting trip to France; returned in 1952,
National Army Museum
1962
The Castle Museum, Norwich (Loan Exhibition)
Edward Seago since 2009.
1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964 and 1967.
Imperial War Museums
1963
Pieter Wenning Gallery, Johannesburg (again
Appointed one of the official Coronation artists.
National Portrait Gallery, London
First painting trips to Portugal and Spain.
The Keep Military Museum
1953
1971, 1975) 1964
Russell Button Gallery, Chicago
1955
Visited Italy; returned in 1957 and 1958.
Reading Museum
1968
Maxwell Galleries, San Francisco
1956
First painting trips to Singapore and Antarctica.
Great Yarmouth Museums
1968
Marlborough Fine Art, London (regularly until 1985)
1956-7
Accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh on his tour
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of
1971
Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo
around the world on Britannia.
Cambridge
1973
Marlborough-Galerie, Zurich
A loan exhibition at St James’s Palace of pictures
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
1974
Fermoy Art Gallery, King’s Lynn
painted during the tour.
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of
1974
Marlborough Fine Art, London (Memorial
1957
Elected Associate of Royal Watercolour Society
East Anglia
Exhibition)
1958
Designed the set for the London production of
Bradford Museums and Galleries
William Golding’s play, The Brass Butterfly
City of London Corporation
Elected a member of the Royal Watercolour Society
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
1979
Marlborough Cervo Tennis Club, Porto Cervo, Sardinia
1959
49. Pin Mill Pencil 4½ x 7 ins
All images © The Estate of Edward Seago, courtesy of Portland Gallery
ALAN DAVIE 2014 PORTLAND GALLERY
PORTLAND GALLE RY