Modern British Art

Works by major names in modern art are available in north London this month. The annual London Art Fair might have a contemporary focus, with many of the attending dealerships and surrounding projects concentrating on recent works, but a healthy supply of older 20th century art for buyers is available to snap up from established galleries.

Twentieth century British art specialist Jamie Anderson has worked for 20 years at Waterhouse & Dodd, where he also deals with US and European paintings and sculptures.

A single-owner private collection, including significant works by artists from the Modern British canon, will be sold at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet on January 15.

Thompson’s Gallery in Aldeburgh uses its annual Christmas exhibition to showcase works by historic artists such as John Maclauchlan Milne (1885-1957), whose oil on canvas The Hay Cole (1920), below, is offered for £6750.

“When I was putting this exhibition together, a lot of people thought I would not be able to find 50 different women British artists to show. In the end, I could have shown 500,” says Sacha Llewellyn of 20th century British art specialist Liss Llewellyn.

Anna Wakerley of Oriel Fine Art specialises in pre- and post-war Modern British painting.

Has Bowie made a difference? This question has been doing the rounds in Modern British circles since 2016 when Sotheby’s offered the highly publicised collection of David Bowie.

Few events shaped British art more in the 20th century than war. As commemorations reached a pinnacle during the centenary month of the First World War, the November Mod Brit series presented an opportune moment to sell art directly related to the conflict.

Prints by Modern British artists are often touted as an affordable way-in for collectors on a budget, but it seems this is not always the case for northern powerhouse LS Lowry (1887-1976).

It has been a bullish year for Welsh art and antiques, according to auction house Rogers Jones (24% buyer’s premium), which broke the £1m barrier for the first time this year across three dedicated sales.

An exhibition at Messum’s this month celebrates the ‘glorious and most extraordinary partnership’ of the artists Lionel Bulmer (1919-92) and Margaret Green (1925-2003).

A London scene by an important Modern British painter will be offered at Deutscher and Hackett in Sydney on November 28.

Work by the community of mid-20th century painters in Essex known as the Great Bardfield Artists fetches strong sums on the secondary market.

The current demand for female artists was in evidence at Henry Adams (20% buyer’s premium) of Chichester when a work by Evelyn Ince (1886-1941) went under the hammer.

Renowned today for his fusion of Post- Impressionism and eastern European folk-art, the Jewish painter Mark Gertler (1891-1939) was inspired at the outset of his career by the northern and early-Italian Renaissance masters.

A painting by Herbert Arnould Olivier (1861-1952), a British artist and the uncle of the actor Lawrence Olivier, is among the stand-out works on show in Jeremy Green’s third gallery exhibition this year.

Two exhibitions in Mayfair this month offer a reappraisal of a clutch of artists who lived and worked in St Ives.