MODERN BRITISH CONTEMPORARY
All paintings and sculpture are available for sale on receipt of this catalogue
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< Catalogue 11
Adrian Heath, Painting Pink and Green (detail)
Catalogue 1
Rowland Suddaby 1912–1972
Flowers in a Window
signed and dated 1940
titled label verso oil on canvas
51 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in)
framed: 73 x 83 cm (29 x 33 in)
PROVENANCE
Waterhouse & Dodd
Private collection, circa 2010–2023
Objects on a windowsill with a landscape beyond were typical in 20th-century composition. In this painting, the artist has used a complex spatial combination akin to the works of Christopher Wood. Flowers in a Window is undoubtedly one of Suddaby’s nest works, with a wonderful sense of light and movement.
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Catalogue 2
Cli ord Fishwick 1923-1997
DVT 102 (Man and Lorry)
signed painted circa 1953 oil on canvas
78 x 50 cm (30½ x 19½ in)
framed: 89 x 61 cm (35 x 24 in)
PROVENANCE
Private collection, 2006–2022
EXHIBITIONS
London, Austin Desmond Fine Art, Cli ord Fishwick, Paintings Around the ’Fifties, 1989, cat no 6
Early works by Cli ord 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 re ecting human labour and their interaction with machines.
Catalogue 3
Anne Redpath 1895–1965
The Red Candlestick
signed
titled and dated 1950 label verso oil on board
61 x 61 cm (24 x 24 in)
framed: 79 x 79 cm (31 x 31 in)
PROVENANCE
Christie’s London, 2001
Richard Green Fine Art
Private collection, London, circa 2010–2023
EXHIBITIONS
Edinburgh, Aitken Dott & Son (The Scottish Gallery), Anne Redpath Exhibition 1950, cat 10
The Red Candlestick, painted in 1950, is a classic example of Redpath’s mature style, with expressive brushwork and exuberant colour. In uenced by Matisse, for whom colour and form were key, the candlestick appears to be viewed from a slightly elevated perspective with the table tilted toward the viewer for maximum e ect.
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Catalogue 4
George Hammond Steel 1900–1960
The Slipway, St Ives
signed painted circa 1954 oil on board
36 x 51 cm (14 x 20 in)
framed: 48 x 63 cm (19 x 25 in)
PROVENANCE
Ernest Brown & Phillips (Leicester Galleries)
Private collection to 2020
Hammond Steel’s evocative and intimate views of Cornish harbours have created an interesting topographical record of Britain’s southwest coast. Subjects included Newlyn, Polperro, and Cadgwith, as well as this iconic view of St Ives, painted from Smeaton’s Pier. Dry chalky paint is overlaid with the structured linear de nition in a distinctive and crisp style.
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Catalogue 5
Roger Hilton 1911–1975
Long Black
signed, titled and dated 1956 verso oil on canvas
20 x 61 cm (8 x 24 in)
framed: 36 x 76 cm (14 x 30 in)
PROVENANCE
The Artist’s Estate
Waddington Galleries, London Private collection, 2006–2022
EXHIBITIONS
London, Jonathan Clark Fine Art, Modern British Art, Autumn 2003, cat no 46
Hilton was aware of tachiste principles before they were widely known in Britain. He used loosely painted structures in the same manner as William Gear, adding earthy hues and colour accents which, intentionally or otherwise, gave the e ect of landscape, particularly when using an overtly horizontal format.
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Catalogue 6
John Plumb 1927–2008
Painting to Red
signed and dated 1957 verso
oil on board
122 x 91 cm (48 x 36 in)
framed: 130 x 99 cm (51 x 39 in)
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist in March 2007
Private collection, 2013–2023
EXHIBITIONS
London, New Vision Centre Gallery, John Plumb Paintings and Drawings, 15 – 26 October 1957
Plumb exhibited with the Artists’ International Association (AIA) between 1953 and 1957 before his solo exhibition at the pioneering New Vision Centre Gallery. At this early stage in his career, Plumb displayed spontaneity and energy with kaleidoscopic colour and rich texture. Painting to Red was one of a small group of abstract expressionist works painted before Plumb’s radical progression toward the minimalist and austerely beautiful ‘tape’ paintings of the 1960s.
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Catalogue 7
Robyn Denny 1930–2014
Collage RC
signed and dated 1957
titled label verso mixed media and collage
33 x 49 cm (13 x 19 in)
framed: 49 x 65 cm (19½ x 25½ in)
PROVENANCE
Purchased directly from the artist in 1957 Collection of Professor Roger Coleman, 1957–2018
EXHIBITIONS
London, Tate Gallery, Robyn Denny, 7 March – 23 April 1973, cat no 10 travelling to: Leverkusen, Stadtisches Museum, 31 August – 28 October 1973, cat no 3
Stuttgart, Württenbergischer Kunstverein, 13 December – 10 January 1974, cat no 3
LITERATURE
Robert Kudielka, The Tate Gallery, Robyn Denny, 7 March – 23 April 1973, illustrated page 14
Collage RC forms part of a series of works by Denny, painted before his rst solo exhibition at Gimpel Fils in 1958. At this point, he was deeply inspired by American culture and art, the city streets, and references to the Beat Generation of poets. The work has a rhythm between layered, fragmented forms expressing creative freedom.
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Catalogue 8
Paul Feiler 1918–2013
July–Newlyn 1958
signed and dated 1958
titled verso oil on board
46 x 71 cm (18 x 28 in)
framed: 64 x 89 cm (25 x 35 in)
PROVENANCE
Sotheby’s, London, March 2006
Richard Green Fine Art
Private collection, circa 2008–2023
July–Newlyn is at rst glance, resolutely abstract, but some of Feiler’s earlier paintings were rooted in the representation of place and atmosphere. The harbour at Newlyn creates a protective arc around the moored boats, and this view from Cli Road captures the sweep and headlands of Mount’s Bay beyond. This evocative work sits amongst some of the most compelling paintings from the 1950s.
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Catalogue 9
Frank Avray Wilson 1914–2009
Positive
titled label verso painted circa 1960 oil on board
124 x 99 cm (49 x 39 in)
framed: 132 x 107 cm (52 x 42 in)
EXHIBITIONS
Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport (label verso)
Positive was painted some two years a er the publication of Wilson’s academic study Art into Life: An interpretation of Contemporary Trends in Painting. Known for his philosophical beliefs, the palette in this painting is predominately purple, the colour of positivity associated with strength, peace, and wisdom.
Catalogue 10
John Tunnard 1900–1971
Flurry
signed and dated 1963
titled, numbered and dated F4.63 verso gouache
38 x 56 cm (15 x 22 in)
framed: 51 x 69 cm (20 x 27 in)
PROVENANCE
The Artist’s Estate
McRoberts & Tunnard
Private collection to 2022
EXHIBITIONS
London, Royal Academy of Arts, in association with the Arts Council, John Tunnard, 5 March – 11 April 1977, cat no 69, illustrated page 35, travelling to:
Cambridge, Kettle's Yard Gallery, 14 May – 7 June 1977
Northamptonshire, Kettering Gallery, 11 June – 2 July 1977
Manchester City Art Gallery, 16 July – 14 August 1977
Newcastle, Laing Art Gallery, 20 August – 11 September 1977
Penzance, Newlyn Art Gallery, 1 – 29 October 1977
LITERATURE
Alan Peat & Brian Whitton, John Tunnard: His Life and Work, Scholar Press, 1997, cat no 814, page 198
Throughout his career, John Tunnard revealed a special interest in natural history and regularly included birds, insects, and sh in his compositions. The birds in Flurry are reduced to their most minimal form in a tangle of legs and wings, which resonates with Tunnard’s surreal tendencies.
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Catalogue 11
Adrian Heath 1920–1992
Painting Pink and Green
signed and dated 1963
titled verso
oil on canvas
122 x 92 cm (48 x 36 in)
framed: 126 x 96 cm (50 x 38 in)
PROVENANCE
The Artist’s Estate
In this 1963 painting, Heath has advanced his aims to reduce elements of geometric abstraction in his compositions in favour of increasingly organic and gestural form. The palette is so er and brighter than the sombre and masculine tones that dominated his work in the previous decade.
Catalogue 12
Ivon Hitchens 1893–1979
November Painting, Blue and Purple
signed
titled and dated 1963 label verso oil on canvas
53 x 132 cm (21 x 52 in)
framed: 73 x 152 cm (29 x 60 in)
PROVENANCE
Waddington Galleries, London, 1963
Private collection, 1963–1996
Phillips Auction London, 26 November 1996
Private collection, 1996–2022
LITERATURE
Alan Bowness and T G Rosenthal, Ivon Hitchens, Lund Humphries, 1973, illustrated plate 58
November Painting, Blue and Purple is a work by an artist at the height of his powers, emphasising the depth of his experience and continuous experimentation. At this stage in his extensive career, Hitchens had moved further away from representational painting towards a more abstract aesthetic. Broad swathes of autumnal colour bring great movement to the composition, and stippled surfaces add further contrast and texture. 1963 was an important year for Hitchens when true recognition came with his retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery, London, organised by the Arts Council.
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Catalogue 13
Ceri Richards 1903–1971
Twelve Lithographs for Six Poems
by Dylan Thomas (Study)signed and dated 1964
watercolour, gouache and ink
40 x 58 cm (16 x 23 in)
framed: 61 x 79 cm (24 x 31 in)
PROVENANCE
Marlborough Gallery circa 1975
Private collection, 1975–2022
From the early 1930s, Ceri Richards explored surrealism and used recurring themes of light and darkness as metaphors for the human condition. Among many sources of inspiration were the poems of Dylan Thomas. In 1943, inspired by these poems, he started making paintings and gouaches, culminating in a series of lithographs entitled, Twelve Lithographs for Six Poems by Dylan Thomas. They can, without doubt, be viewed as one of the highlights of his career. The present work is one of several studies he painted for that series.
Catalogue 14
Elisabeth Frink 1930–1993
Mirage II
signed on base number 2 from an edition of 5
1967
bronze 92 x 53 cm (36 x 21 in)
PROVENANCE
Private collection, 2014–2023
EXHIBITIONS
London, Waddington Galleries, Elisabeth Frink, Oct – Nov 1972
Wake eld, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Elisabeth Frink: Open Air Retrospective, July – November 1983
London, Royal Academy, Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture and Drawings 1952–1984, February – March 1985
Hong Kong, The Rotunda, Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture & Drawings, 1989
Washington DC, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Elisabeth Frink Sculpture & Drawings 1950–1990
(All the above exhibitions featured other casts)
LITERATURE
Bryan Robertson, Elisabeth Frink Sculpture Catalogue Raisonné, Harpvale Books, 1984, cat no 162, illustrated page 171
Annette Ratuszniak, Elisabeth Frink: Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture, 1947 – 1993, Lund Humphries, 2013, cat no 187, illustrated page 108
Frink moved to the South of France in 1967 and with brighter light and warmer air, her preoccupation with birds as harbingers of doom shi ed to a so er mood.
The birds became slender and sleek, inspired by amingoes viewed through heat mirages.
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Catalogue 15
Gary Wragg B 1946
Life Painting with Bathtub
signed, titled and dated 1967 verso
acrylic on cotton duck
151 x 136 cm (59½ x 53½ in)
framed 153 x 138 cm (60½ x 54½ in)
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist in 2017
This vibrant interior gives the appearance of being viewed through a prism. Formal shapes are distorted into angular abstractions so that only the roll-top bath and the recumbent gure are recognisable to the viewer.
Catalogue 16
Paul Mount 1922–2009
Geometric Forms
signed on base
conceived circa 1980
stainless steel on marble base 11.5 x 18 cm (4½ x 7 in)
PROVENANCE
Collection of Joy Barnes to 2012
Private collection, 2012–2021
Between 1978 and 1986, Mount produced a number of sculptures in stainless steel, which broke tradition with previously organic and curvilinear forms. A rming his primarily constructive approach, Geometric Forms, angular and industrial, is perhaps a re ection on the architectural installations he produced in Lagos, Nigeria almost twenty years earlier. The individual elements allow the viewer to alter the interaction depending on personal preference.
Catalogue 17
Gabriel Weissmann 1944–1997
Stormy Monday
signed and dated 1980
titled verso
mixed media and collage on board
61 x 55 cm (24 x 21½ in)
framed: 75 x 69 cm (29½ x 27 in)
PROVENANCE
Private collection, 2009–2019
Weissmann’s use of contrasting black and white was chosen for maximum graphic impact. Stormy Monday highlights the artist’s ability to move between commercial and painterly modes and his fascination for gra ti. He would simultaneously work on graphic design commissions while exhibiting paintings and photographs.
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Catalogue 18
Keith Milow B 1945
91/49/10/4S
signed and dated 1991
titled label verso oil on brass and lead
20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 in)
framed: 45 x 38 cm (18 x 15 in)
PROVENANCE
Nigel Greenwood Gallery, 1991 Collection of Gerald Levin, circa 1991–2020
91/49/10/4S is a classic insight into Milow's imaginary world. A solitary sphere hovers over an impenetrable backdrop of seemingly ancient, oxidised copper and lead while delicate and looping strands oat in the ethereal space. This small-scale work was amongst the last in a series following the ground-breaking exhibition at the Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London, in 1989.
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Catalogue 19
Frank Bowling B 1934
Untitled
painted circa 1991
acrylic on canvas
107 x 71 cm (42 x 28 in)
framed: 127 x 91 cm (50 x 36 in)
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist in 1991 Private collection, 1991–2022
Frank Bowling o en used ’chance’ in his compositions. In this instance, a paint pot has le a ring on the surface of the canvas, a stylistic innovation rst explored in the 1980s, which was to become a recurring device. Another symbol in the painting is the apparent outline of South America, which gives greater context to the circular shape and may reference his iconic series of Map Paintings from the late 1960s.
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Catalogue 20
Terry Frost 1915–2003
Red Crescent, Blue and Black
signed and dated 1995
titled label verso
acrylic, canvas and collage
21 x 31 cm (8 x 12 in)
framed: 37 x 42 cm (14½ x 16½ in)
PROVENANCE
Private collection, 1995–2023
EXHIBITIONS
London, Flowers East, Terry Frost, 80th Birthday Exhibition, Paintings of the Nineties and Recent Prints, 13 October – 19 November 1995
Red Crescent, Blue and Black draws from a substantial repertoire of Frost’s previous imagery. Half-moon shapes combine with folded painted paper forms, as seen in the ‘Squeeze’ series, to produce a composition of great energy and movement.
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Catalogue 21
Brian Willsher 1930–2010
Arches
signed and dated 1997 on base unique mahogany
41 x 33 cm (16 x 13 in)
This geometric and intricate sculpture is beautifully cra ed from multiple layers of mahogany. Although Willsher used mechanical methods, including lathes, his compositions retained the essence of direct carving. He received support and praise from Herbert Read, the renowned art historian, and Henry Moore, who said, “Here’s pure sculpture, indeed! More than that, memorable sculpture!”
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Catalogue 22
Tony Bevan B 1951
Violet Interior
signed painted in 2003
raw pigment and charcoal
85 x 121 cm (33½ x 47½ in)
framed: 102 x 138 cm (40½ x 54½ in)
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from Tony Bevan, 2005
Private collection, London, 2006–2009
Collection of James Hyman, London, 2009–2022
Tony Bevan’s interiors are akin to his psychologically charged portraits and gure studies, with the subject reduced to minimal representation. They are typically comprised of a single vivid colour. The interiors were created on large-scale canvasses or, as in the case of this work, smaller compositions on paper. The same raw pigment in this painting is applied to an unprimed surface to emphasise texture and dimension.
Catalogue 23
John Kingerlee B 1936
Kilcatherine Landscape
signed with monogram titled label verso painted circa 2004 oil on board
27 x 32 cm (10½ x 12½ in)
framed: 37 x 42 cm (14½ x 16½ in)
PROVENANCE
Anthony Hepworth Fine Art Private collection, 2006–2021
EXHIBITIONS
Bath, Anthony Hepworth Fine Art, John Kingerlee New Paintings, 28 February – 25 March 2006, cat no 10
Kilcatherine is a small community on the most southwesterly peninsula of County Cork. The rocky outcrops, principally made of carboniferous slate, provide Kingerlee with constant inspiration for his paintings. Successive layers of paint replicate the topography of the coast.
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Catalogue 24
Tommy Rowe B 1941
Two Forms Bosigran
signed, titled and dated 2023 on base number 4 from an edition of 7 bronze on slate base 24 x 12 cm (9½ x 5 in)
Bosigran is a large granite sea cli located in West Penwith at the tip of the Cornish peninsula. The monumentality of the cli s is captured in this small-scale sculpture of two forms, part-polished and part-patinated, to enhance interaction.
Catalogue 25
Peter Joyce B 1964
Sea Spray
signed with initials and dated 2021
titled verso
acrylic on canvas
102 x 122 cm (40 x 48 in)
framed: 106 x 126 cm (41½ x 49½ in)
Joyce has once again skilfully captured the colour and atmosphere of the coastal region surrounding his home in Dorset. The colours of earth and sea mingle with a translucent white, which swirls across the canvas to great e ect.
Catalogue 26
Richard Fox B 1965
Moebius in Marble V
signed and titled unique 2022 marble on oak base 65 x 23 cm (25½ x 9 in)
Carved from Carrara marble, Moebius V is one in a series of sculptures that re ect on the Moebius form, a unique surface with only one side and one boundary. This balanced upright sculpture can be rotated on its base and viewed through di erent perspectives.
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Catalogue 27
Jeremy Gardiner B 1957
West Bay V
signed and dated 2022
titled verso acrylic and jesmonite on poplar panel 120 x 90 cm (47 x 35½ in)
Notes from the artist:
“I visited West Bay and East Cli for the rst time during the summer of 1980, and walking along the beach, I surveyed the scale and distinctive shapes of the honeycomb weathering at East Cli e, a few kilometres away. I would o en return to the small harbour settlement of West Bay and paint the landscape I encountered four decades ago.”
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Catalogue 28
Robert Fogell B 1963
Concave Forms I
Concave Forms I has the air of a compass, its four sections mirroring the cardinal points. Fogell rst experimented with steel over a decade ago and has now returned to the material to diversify his compositions. The process of hand fabricating is a departure from mechanised casting and brings a more signi cant presence to the nished sculpture. This sculpture is suitable for outdoor installation.
inscribed with initials and dated 2022 on base stainless steel 117 x 48 cm (46 x 19 in)
Catalogue 29
Jonathan Clarke B 1961
Send and Receive
stamped with initials and dated 2022 unique aluminium 34 x 44 cm (13½ x 17 in)
This recent large-scale sculpture, by a master of aluminium casting, is aptly titled. The two opposing forms mimic radar dishes while simultaneously hinting at communication and interaction within a relationship.
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Catalogue 30
Leigh Davis B 1976
Eroded Forms, The Isles of Scilly
signed
titled and dated 2023 verso oil on panel
60 x 100 cm (23½ x 39½ in)
framed: 66 x 106 cm (26 x 42 in)
This recent painting by Leigh Davis, with its complex composition and vibrant palette, is proof of the artist’s progression into an abstract vocabulary. Vigorous brushwork and the use of linear structure create notable atmosphere and movement.
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MODERN BRITISH & CONTEMPORARY
Published in 2023 The Nine British Art
ISBN 978-1-7391192-1-8
The Nine British Art
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© The Nine British Art
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 rst seeking the written permission of the copyright holders and of the publisher.
Photography: Paul Tucker Photography
Design: Alan Ward @ www.alanjward.co.uk
Print: Graphius, Ghent
Cover: catalogue 19, Frank Bowling, Untitled (detail)
Front cover ap
Painting: catalogue 8, Paul Feiler, July–Newlyn 1958
Back cover ap
Sculpture: catalogue 29, Jonathan Clarke, Send and Receive
Painting: catalogue 17, Gabriel Weissmann, Stormy Monday
9 Bury Street, St James’s, London sw 1 y 6 ab
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