The auction at the Mall Galleries in London consists of 49 lots being sold by Shell to benefit The National Motor Museum Trust.
It includes posters from some of Shell’s most celebrated inter-war advertising campaigns that chose to promote not only petrol and oil but also the pleasures of motoring.
Commissioned by Jack Beddington, who had a keen eye for young talent, the list of artists who contributed included Ben Nicholson, Graham Sutherland, Edward McKnight Kauffer and Paul Nash, with styles ranging from Vorticism to Surrealism.
Graham Sutherland’s 'Brimham Rock, Yorkshire', 1937, guide £500-700 at Lyon & Turnbull.
The posters offered (duplicates from the Shell collection) are all 2ft 6in x 3ft 9in (76cm x 1.14m) ‘lorry bills’ which were attached to the sides and backs of Shell delivery vehicles.
