20th century british art
All paintings and sculpture are available for viewing on receipt of this catalogue Please contact the gallery for prices and availability Gallery hours: Monday to Friday 10am – 6pm Saturdays and other times by appointment
20th century british art Spring 2012
Paisnel Gallery 9 Bury Street, St James's, London sw1y 6ab telephone:
020 7930 9293 email: info@paisnelgallery.co.uk
Index of Artists and Catalogue Numbers
Adams, Robert Bell, Trevor Bradley, Martin Cohen, Bernard Chadwick, Lynn Clough, Prunella Davies, John Eurich, Richard Fishwick, Clifford Frost, Terry Heron, Patrick Hilton, Roger Lanyon, Peter Mackenzie, Alexander Mellis, Margaret Milne, John Mount, Paul Scott, William Tunnard, John Vaughan, Keith Wall, Brian Wallis, Alfred Wells, John Williams, Kyffin Wilson, Frank Avray Wynter, Bryan
25 12 15 19 30 4 29 24 11 8, 17 20 10 7, 16 9 14 27 28 3 2, 5 21, 23 26 1 6 22 13 18
Paintings
cat 1
Alfred Wallis 1855–1942 Schooner in Full Sail pencil and oil on board 7 x 13 ins (17.8 x 33 cms) provenance john wells (studio label verso) wills lane gallery, cornwall private collection circa 1970–2012
Alfred Wallis was recognised by other artists, long before public acclaim, as one of the most influential painters of the 20th Century. His raw and energetic creativity informed and inspired Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood, as well as laying a stylistic foundation for countless post-war and contemporary artists. Schooner in Full Sail was one of many works by Wallis in the collection of the artist, John Wells.
cat 2
John Tunnard Whole Holiday
1900–1971
oil on gesso-prepared board 10 x 8 ins (25.4 x 20.3 cms) incised with signature, dated ‘40 & reference 035 also signed, dated and inscribed label verso exhibited london, alex reid & lefevre gallery, london group, 24 october 1940 london, marlborough fine art, 1940, cat no 94 london, royal academy, 1941 london, zwemmer gallery, september 1945, cat no 229 literature alan peat and brian whitton, john tunnard his life and works, page 154, cat no 200 john tunnard record o 35
Whole Holiday pre-dates two important works by Tunnard from 1942. Man, Woman and Flag and Man, Woman and Iron both utilise the same delicate human shapes, incised into gesso-prepared board, over solid sculptural forms.
cat 3
William Scott 1913–1989 Face and Flowers oil on canvas laid on panel 6½ x 9¾ ins (16.5 x 24.8 cms) signed and dated ‘42 titled label verso provenance j. leger & son london, 1942 (label verso) collection austin trevor private collection 2007–2012 literature for inclusion in the revised william scott catalogue raisonné due for publication late 2012 (catalogue number to be confirmed)
Face and Flowers was amongst the last group of paintings exhibited by William Scott before he volunteered for the Army to serve with the Royal Engineers. Other figurative works from this era include, Seated Nude 1936 (Tate Gallery) and Soldier and Girl Sleeping 1942 (Imperial War Museum). Returning to England in 1946, he was appointed Senior Painting Master at the Bath Academy of Art where he re-enforced his friendship with other Corsham teachers including, Terry Frost, Bryan Wynter and Peter Lanyon.
cat 4
Prunella Clough 1919–1999 Still Life: Cabbage 1946 oil on canvas 14 x 18 ins (35.5 x 45.7 cms) signed titled and dated ‘46 label verso provenance london, the leicester galleries (label verso) private collection 2001–2012 exhibited london, annely juda fine art, prunella clough, the late paintings and selected earlier works, november–december 2000, cat no 62, illustrated page 62
Still Life: Cabbage 1946 is characteristic of Clough’s early work in its formal arrangement and tonal palette. Painted the year before her first solo exhibition in London at Leger Galleries, it began a phase of figurative work that associated her with the NeoRomantic group of John Craxton, John Minton and Keith Vaughan. Always inspirational and inventive, her rapid progress through several distinct phases of development including 1950s realism and the formalist abstraction of the 1960s enforce the belief that she was one of the finest post-war British artists.
cat 5
John Tunnard 1900–1971 Untitled (Icebergs) watercolour & gouache on paper 15 x 22 ins (38 x 56 cms) painted circa 1946 provenance private collection circa 1950–2012 literature for inclusion in forthcoming publication 2013 alan peat and brian whitton, john tunnard and his work (catalogue number to be confirmed)
Tunnard was a coastguard in south west Cornwall throughout the war years. The gently curving horizon and sense of limitless space in Untitled (Icebergs) reflect his constant observation of the sea and a shift away from the minute detail of earlier works. A subdued colouring, similar to that of Cataclysm 1946 (Alan Peat and Brian Whitton, John Tunnard, cat no 479), emphasises the chill of the water, whilst the tangled timbers and rudder-like form may reference the lamentable events of the previous six years.
cat 6
John Wells 1907–2000 Painting 1947 oil on plywood 21½ x 7¼ ins (54.6 x 18.4 cms) signed and dated 1947 verso titled label verso exhibited london, the new art centre, cornwall 1945–55, cat no 142
In 1945 Wells left his doctor's practice in the Scilly Isles and moved to Newlyn. Two years later he purchased a studio from Stanhope Forbes and realised his ambition to paint full time. Painting 1947 displays an acute sense of movement and balance with ascending forms reminiscent of birds in flight, a theme he developed further culminating in Aspiring Forms 1950, now in the Tate Collection.
cat 7
Peter Lanyon 1918–1964 The Yellow Boat oil on board 15 x 19 ins (38 x 48.3 cms) signed and dated ‘47 titled label verso provenance lawrence ogilvie esq, thence by descent private collection 2007–2012 exhibited london, lefevre gallery 1949, cat no 55 manchester, whitworth art gallery, peter lanyon, paintings, drawings and constructions 1937–64, january–march 1978, cat no 15 arts council of great britain and greater manchester council touring to: glasgow, art gallery and museum, kelvingrove, april 1978 cambridge, kettle’s yard, university of cambridge, may 1978 st ives, penwith society of arts, july–august 1978 bristol, royal west of england academy of arts, august–september 1978 literature the painter and sculptor, autumn 1962, illustrated page 5 cornish review, spring 1966 andrew causey, peter lanyon his paintings, aidan ellis publishing, 1971, cat 23, illustrated plate 9 chris stephens, peter lanyon at the edge of landscape, 21 publishing 2000, cat no 29, illustrated page 55
cat 8
Terry Frost 1915–2003 Interior at Quay Street St. Ives oil on board 19½ x 23¼ ins (49.5 x 59 cms) signed verso painted circa 1948 provenance private collection 2006–2012
Terry and Kathleen Frost moved to Cornwall in 1946 and, apart from a brief spell in Carbis Bay, No. 12 Quay Street was their family home for fifteen years. This interior reflects Frost's early training at Camberwell where a grant enabled him to study during terms and spend summers at Quay Street. It was whilst at Camberwell that Frost, influenced by Victor Pasmore, became increasingly aware of the abstract qualities of paintings. There followed a period where he was torn between the figurative foundation of the 1940s and the urge to progress in parallel with other St. Ives' artists. By 1949 he had painted Madrigal and his journey through six decades of abstraction had begun.
cat 9
Alexander Mackenzie Composition 1951
1923–2002
oil on canvas laid on board 21 x 17½ ins (53.3 x 44.5cms) signed, dated 1951 and inscribed with title verso provenance private collection 2006–2012
With precisely structured form and harmonious palette, Composition 1951 is one of Mackenzie's earliest works, painted soon after his arrival in Newlyn. He exhibited initially at the Penwith Society with Ben Nicholson and John Wells, both of whom had a major influence on his work. Mackenzie's artistic vision and reputation grew rapidly; by 1959 Waddington Galleries had begun a series of highly successful exhibitions in London, where works were purchased by the Arts Council and Tate Gallery.
cat 10
Roger Hilton Composition
1911–1975
oil on board 14¼ x 29¼ ins (36.5 x 74.5 cms) signed painted circa 1951 provenance private collection 2007–2012
In 1951 the first exhibition of post-war abstract art was held at the Artist’s International Association. Titled, Abstract Paintings, Sculptures, Mobiles, it included work by Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Victor Pasmore, Terry Frost and Roger Hilton. The collector, Howard Bliss, was particularly drawn to Hilton’s work, both buying from this exhibition and on further visits to his studio. This was followed with Hilton’s inclusion in a mixed show of British Abstract Art at Gimpels Fils in the same year.
cat 11
Clifford Fishwick 1923–1997 DVT 102 (Man and Lorry) oil on canvas 30½ x 19½ ins (77.5 x 49.5 cms) signed painted circa 1953 provenance private collection 2006–2012 exhibited london, austin desmond fine art, clifford fishwick, paintings around the ‘fifties, 1989, cat no 6
Early works by Clifford Fishwick display an intuitive understanding of pictorial structure. Living close to Cornwall he formed friendships with Peter Lanyon, Paul Feiler and Trevor Bell, exhibiting regularly with the Newlyn and Penwith Societies. By the 1950s his style had developed a neo-romantic vision with subjects reflecting human labour and their interaction with machines, reminiscent of early works by Prunella Clough. DVT 102 (Man and Lorry) is a consummate example of this phase of work.
cat 12
Trevor Bell Coast Image
Born 1930
oil on board 36 x 23½ ins (91.4 x 59.7 cms) incised with signature and dated ‘57 also signed and titled verso provenance penwith gallery, st ives, 1957 the john moores liverpool exhibition, 1957 (label verso) private collection 2007–2012 exhibited london, the new art centre, november–december 1977, cat no 8, illustrated page 11
Painted the year before Bell’s first solo exhibition at Waddington Galleries in London, Coast Image reflects his new involvement in the prevailing mode of the St. Ives movement; a form of abstraction based upon the local landscape. It also references his interaction with Frost, the friend and mentor who inspired Bell to move to Cornwall. Coast Image pre-dates almost all of the works held in private collections, including the British Museum, Tate Gallery and Laing Art Gallery.
cat 13
Frank Avray Wilson Composition 1957
1914–2009
oil on canvas 34 x 35 ins (86 x 90 cms) dated 1957 verso provenance the artist’s studio circa 1990
Cosmological analogies flourished in abstract painting of the 1950s and Avray Wilson's images were frequently explosive in their arrangement. Although the use of lines of force is reminiscent of Nicholas de Stael, the sense of energy generated by Composition 1957 is distinctly a part of the majority of Wilson's output. The work is comparable to Abstract in Blue and Green in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Others include Miniature Configuration (The Fitzwilliam Museum) and Primordial Image (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool).
cat 14
Margaret Mellis Roses (Red)
1914–2009
oil on board 30 x 25 ins (76.2 x 63.5 cms) incised with artist’s initials also signed, dated feb 1960 and titled verso provenance private collection 2007–2012
Margaret Mellis met the painter Adrian Stokes in 1938 and, by 1939, searching for a refuge from the impending war, they settled in Carbis Bay near St. Ives. A vanguard of the migration to Cornwall that changed the direction of British Art, they were joined by Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth and subsequently numerous other artists. Mellis was encouraged by Nicholson to disregard earlier training and create “constructivist” compositions, which were to be the starting point for a highly diverse and productive career. Roses (Red) is part of a body of work painted whilst exploring still-life and landscape painting in the late 1950s, and owes much to the teaching of Scottish colourist, Samuel John Peploe in Edinburgh.
cat 15
Martin Bradley Born 1931 Les Deux Colimaçons oil on canvas 28¾ x 19¾ ins (73 x 50.2 cms) signed and dated 1960 also signed, dated & inscribed with title verso provenance galerie samy kinge, paris exhibited paris, galerie rive gauche, 1960
The colloquially endearing title of Les Deux Colimaçons is compatible with most of Bradley’s paintings between 1960 and 1961 when he was living and working in Paris. He exhibited with Galerie Rive Gauche, renowned for showing the celebrated artists, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte and Yves Tanguy. The Gallery Director, Rudolphe Augustinci, did much to promote Bradley’s work in Europe.
cat 16
Peter Lanyon Look Back
1918–1964
watercolour & gouache on paper 30¼ x 22¼ ins (77 x 56.5 cms) signed, dated nov 61 and inscribed with title verso provenance the artist’s estate private collection 2001–2012
Look Back is a work that is almost certainly derived from an aerial glimpse of the Cornish coast, observed through vaporous cloud on one of Lanyon's many glider flights. The sense of freedom and danger he experienced in the air led to a new vocabulary in his landscape oeuvre embodying greater sensitivity and lightness.
cat 17
Terry Frost Laced Grace
1915–2003
oil, collage and leather on canvas 24 x 20 ins (61 x 51 cms) signed, dated november ‘62 and inscribed verso provenance waddington galleries (label verso) exhibited london, tate gallery, british paintings in the sixties, 1963, cat no 31 (illustrated) london, belgrave gallery, terry frost, 1994, cat no 21 (illustrated) london, royal academy of arts, terry frost six decades, 12 october – 12 november 2000, cat no 21 (illustrated) the arts council of great britain and south west arts, terry frost, paintings, drawings and collages, 1976–77, cat no 30 (illustrated page 40) touring to: plymouth city art gallery, november–december 1976 bristol, royal west of england academy, december 1976 – january 1977 london, serpentine gallery, february–march 1977 chester, chester arts centre, march–april 1977 newcastle, laing art gallery, april–may 1977 leeds city art gallery, may–june 1977 birmingham city art gallery, july 1977 literature david lewis, terry frost, scolar press, 1994, illustrated page 21 royal academy of arts, terry frost six decades, illustrated page 57
cat 18
Bryan Wynter Sandspoor XII
1915–1975
oil on canvas 40 x 32 ins (102 x 81.3cms) signed, dated 1963 and inscribed verso provenance private collection 1963–2011
Sandspoor XII is the last in a series of twelve paintings produced by Wynter during the early 1960s. The word “spoor” relates to a print left in the sand by a human or animal which in turn records a moment in time. Wynter’s inspiration lay in Wilfred Thesiger’s biography, Arabian Sands, (1959), in which the author recounts his journey through Rub al-Khali, a vast desert in the southern Arabian Peninsula with reddish-orange coloured sand.
cat 19
Bernard Cohen Style 1
Born 1933
acrylic on canvas 36 x 36 ins (91.5 x 91.5cms) signed, inscribed and dated 1963 on stretcher provenance private collection 2008–2012 exhibited london, waddington galleries, 1963 bradford, city of bradford art gallery, 1965 strasbourg, musée de strasbourg, 15 may – 17 september 1972 literature norbert lynton and ian mckay, bernard cohen work of six decades, published 2009 flowers, illustrated page 94
Cohen maintained that the physical act of painting was of paramount importance. His consistent experimentation and development of procedures arising from a concern with “process” is the underlying link uniting his work from the 1960s. Style 1 is typical of the output from this period with intertwining and meandering lines formed over individual “panels” creating a composition that is both balanced and challenging.
cat 20
Patrick Heron 1920–1999 Two Yellows and White in Orange gouache on paper 7 x 9¼ ins (18 x 23.5 cms) signed, dated november 1966 and inscribed with title verso provenance waddington galleries, london 1966 (label verso) mr h kreitman
Two Yellows and White in Orange pre-dates many of Heron’s small and jewel-like gouaches. It adheres to Heron’s own description of works from this period of being “wobbly hard-edge”, where the primary interest is of colour interaction and spacial ambiguity.
cat 21
Keith Vaughan 1912–1977 Autumn Landscape oil on board 11½ x 10½ ins (29.2 x 26.7 cms) titled label verso painted circa 1966 provenance the artist's estate (agnews) the belgrave gallery (label verso) private collection 2005–2012
Keith Vaughan's earlier paintings were confined to a limited palette but in the 1950s, as he gained confidence, his use of colour became more adventurous. A retrospective exhibition of Nicholas de Stael in 1956 confirmed Vaughan's admiration for the artist and he began to incorporate more abstract elements in his compositions. Notable examples of this process include Group of Figures (1961) and Two Bathers (1964). Despite the representational title, Autumn Landscape is almost entirely abstract with rich colouring and impasto.
cat 22
Kyffin Williams 1918–2006 Farmer in the Wood oil on panel 22½ x 17 ins (57.2 x 43.2 cms) signed with artist’s initials titled label verso painted circa 1973–74 provenance thackeray gallery london, 1974 (label verso)
Following studies at the Slade and a teaching post as Senior Art Master at Highgate School, Kyffin Williams returned to his native north Wales and settled in a house on Anglesey overlooking the Menai Straits. Here he immersed himself in the local community and painted the landscape and its people with ever increasing success. He was generous in his support of other artists and, as a senior Royal Academician, was awarded an OBE for services to the Arts. Farmer in the Wood is a powerful example of his work with rich impasto, broadly applied by palette knife and loaded brush.
cat 23
Keith Vaughan Bulmer Tye
1912–1977
oil on board 18 x 15¾ ins (45.7 x 40 cms) painted in 1972 reference kv443 provenance the artist's estate, 1977 collection pauline del mar private collection to 2012 exhibited london, olympia, keith vaughan, 1912–1977 26 february – 3 march 2002 bath, victoria art gallery, keith vaughan, figure and landscape 3 february – 25 march 2007 (illustrated)
From the mid-1960s Vaughan kept a studio at his weekend cottage in Toppesfield, Essex. Here he delighted in the unspoilt beauty of the surrounding countryside and produced small paintings of the houses and barns dotted around the neighbourhood. Bulmer Tye is a village barely ten miles from Toppesfield. Similar compositions around this time were Blackmore End II (1971) and Harrow Hill III (1972).
cat 24
Richard Eurich 1903–1992 Snow Shower over Skyreholme oil on board 18 x 24 ins (45.7 x 61 cms) signed and dated '73 title inscribed verso provenance london, arthur tooth and sons, richard eurich, recent paintings, oct 1973 cat no 27, thence by descent to 2012
Eurich was often drawn back to this part of Yorkshire because of its natural beauty. Among the landscapes he painted were Malham Cove, Gordale Scar, Bolton Abbey to Barden Tower, Grassington, and several of the Wharfe valley, but this particular view of Skyreholme is, as far as I know, unique. At the time he painted it he was working in two distinct styles. There are his well-known and popular beach scenes from the south coast, which are broadly painted and much appreciated by fellow artists, for example Beach Scene with Bathers, 1969 (Tate Britain). Then there are his more unusual, meticulous landscapes painted with a fine brush and which are often, but not always, viewed from afar, such as The Docks at Goole, 1971 (National Maritime Museum). He achieves harmony in both types of painting through his intuitive understanding of composition and his subtle use of colouration. Snow Shower over Skyreholme is an outstanding example of the latter style. Edit of text kindly provided by Christine Clearkin. Complete version is available on our website or by request..
Sculpture
cat 25
Robert Adams 1917–1984 Maquette for Circular form I steel 4½ x 4¼ ins (11.4 x 10.8 cms) stamped with signature and dated 1965 on base unique opus 272 literature alastair grieve, the sculpture of robert adams, lund humphries, london 1992, cat no 535, illustrated page 223
Distinctly different from the angular regularity of most sculptures that Adams produced between 1964 and 1968, this series of maquettes avoid symmetry, with the weight of the disc displaced from the centre, giving a sense of forward movement. The mid-1960s was a key era in Adams’ career with a large number of architectural commissions resulting in greater public recognition.
cat 26
Brian Wall Untitled
Born 1931
painted steel 11 x 13¾ ins (28 x 35 cms) unique circa 1966 provenance the artist 1969, thence by descent private collection 1969–2012
Brian Wall’s interest in sculpture began with a visit to the Tate Gallery in 1953 where he saw Barbara Hepworth’s submission for the Monument to the Unknown Political Prisoner. By 1955 a combination of tenacity and recommendation led him to Hepworth’s studio as an assistant. The next year he started making welded steel sculptures and was quickly rewarded with a solo exhibition in 1957 at the Architectural Association, London. Wall set up a studio in London in 1960 where his work developed through several phases. It was then that Wall experimented with long cylinders, open square boxes and the circle. Untitled is a vital study of his work from this period.
cat 27
John Milne Hera
1931-1978
polished bronze on slate base 15 ins (h) (38.10 cms) signed with artist's initials and dated 1972 on base numbered 3 from an edition of 9 exhibited london, marjorie parr gallery, april 1972 literature peter davies, the sculpture of john milne, belgrave gallery, 2000, illustrated page 82
John Milne was an assistant to Barbara Hepworth for several years and this St. Ives background did much to influence his work in the 1950s. Numerous mixed shows followed with Lanyon, Hilton, Frost and Wynter culminating in a retrospective exhibition at Plymouth City Art Gallery in 1971. Hera was cast in 1972, a highly productive year for Milne, with his second solo show at the Marjorie Parr Gallery, London. As one of the three sisters of Zeus, Hera reflects Milne’s interest in Greek mythology, landscape and architecture.
cat 28
Paul Mount 1922–2009 Vertical Forms welded stainless steel 35ž ins (h) (91 cms) including base signed on base unique circa 1973
Paul Mount moved to St. Just in 1962 and set up a studio in the Cornish community that included Barbara Hepworth, Denis Mitchell and John Milne. Initially working in cast iron and bronze, Mount adopted stainless steel as his favoured medium and produced spatially engaging sculptures of great beauty and poise. His first solo exhibition was at the Drian Gallery in London and his appreciation of large scale sculpture as architectural enhancement led to numerous commissions in Plymouth, Bristol and London. As with many of Mount's sculptures, the moveable elements in Vertical Forms invite the viewer to interact by re-arranging the balance between space and structure.
cat 29
John Davies Head T
Born 1946
black painted resin on steel stand
head 8½ ins/ 21 cms 67 ins/171cms inc base unique created 1981–1984 exhibited london, marlborough fine art, john davies recent sculpture and paintings, 11 may – 23 june 1984, cat no 59
John Davies studied painting at Manchester College of Art before spending two years at the Slade. Both his paintings and sculptures focused on the human figure: heads were given finely delineated features and created in a variety of mediums including resin, bronze and wood. The first important solo exhibition at Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1972 affirmed his status in British sculpture. Another was held at the same venue in 1975 followed by Marlborough Fine Art in 1980. Davies was awarded a sculpture fellowship at Gloucester College of Art in 1989.
cat 30
Lynn Chadwick 1914–2003 Maquette VII Sitting Woman 1986 bronze with a black patina 8 x 5½ ins (20.3 x 14 cms) numbered 8 from an edition of 9 dated 1986 and stamped c39 provenance private collection 2004–2012 exhibited san francisco, erika meyerovich gallery, lynn chadwick, recent sculpture, december 1987 – february 1988, another cast literature denis farr & éva chadwick, lynn chadwick sculptor, lund humphries 2006, cat no c39, illustrated page 367
20th century british art Published in 2012 by Paisnel Gallery Paisnel Gallery 9 Bury Street St James’s London sw1y 6ab Telephone: 020 7930 9293 Email: info@paisnelgallery.co.uk www.paisnelgallery.co.uk Š Paisnel Gallery All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without first seeking the written permission of the copyright holders and of the publisher. Photography: Paul Tucker Photography Design: Alan Ward @ www.axisgraphicdesign.co.uk Print: DeckersSnoeck, Antwerp
Cover: John Tunnard, Whole Holiday, (detail) Front endpaper: Margaret Mellis, Roses (Red) (detail) Back cover flap: Trevor Bell, Coast Image (detail)
9 Bury Street
•
St James’s
•
London sw1y 6ab
telephone: 020 7930 9293