Modern British Art

Duke’s sale of property from Wormington Grange in Gloucestershire included a record for the Modern British painter Algernon Newton (1880-1968).

Works from either a distinguished collection or well-known owner offered with appealing estimates are an enticing prospect at auction.

As the son of an entomologist and ornithologist, the artist David Morrison Reid-Henry (1919-77) was destined for a career observing wildlife and nature.

London’s art world between the wars was a surprisingly diverse community.

'Five Circles' first appeared as part of Ben Nicholson’s (1894-1982) publication 23 Gravures in 1934 and was then released as a limited-edition print. The initial run of approximately 30 signed copies was followed by various reprintings.

Among the publishing houses that helped put Modern British prints on the map was The Curwen Studio.

Modern prints can offer the chance to own interesting and eye-catching works, including those by well-known artists, without needing to invest large sums of money. This makes prints a viable option for collectors on a smaller budget as well as those just starting out.

The linocuts produced by artists from the Grosvenor School in London, which ran from 1925-40, have been one of the liveliest areas of the Modern British prints market in the last 15-20 years.

Most prints are closely connected with an artist’s wider oeuvre. A few good Welsh examples were on offer at Rogers Jones (22% buyer’s premium) in Cardiff on April 17.

With a lack of fairs during the pandemic and fewer scheduled in the near future, picture dealer Jeremy Green has taken the plunge and returned to running a physical gallery after 15 years of running his dealership from home and standing at fairs.

Edward Seago was a favourite of the establishment, royals in particular, but has a wider appeal such as his views of Hong Kong

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Tennants offered a well-received 70-lot sale dedicated to views mostly of Yorkshire from a private collection last month.

Oil bought by the vendor directly from the artist Lucy Harwood features a still-life on the reverse

Depiction of one McNeill sister sets a record while portrait of her sibling also appears at another auction

More Mod Brit delights from the Freer collection kept in a house full to bursting point

The Welsh Sale at Rogers Jones in Cardiff on April 17 includes a portrait of Dylan Thomas painted just two months before he died,

Gravel pit subject was typical of artist’s move towards mundane subjects, as exhibition shows

Walter Sickert (1860-1942) first met Cicely Hey at a public lecture in 1923. The very next day Hey arrived at his studio in Fitzroy Street and continued to sit for Sickert over the next decade.

A late work by LS Lowry (1887-1976), which had never appeared on the open market before, overshot a £60,000- 90,000 estimate at Tennants’ latest Modern & Contemporary art sale.