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Bonhams First Sale Dedicated To The Artists Of Newlyn And St Ives
http://www.bonhams.com/cornishsale/
ARTISTS FROM TWO CORNISH VILLAGES SHAPED THE FACE OF BRITISH ART
From 1880 until the present day, two small Cornish fishing villages have inspired
many of the giants of British art to produce an extraordinary and varied body
of work. Bonhams, the international auction house, held an auction dedicated solely
to the work of artists from Newlyn and St Ives on Wednesday 19 November 2008 at
its New Bond Street salerooms.
The sale, Under a Western Sky: the Art of Newlyn and St. Ives, was the first of
its kind and recognised the importance of the artists who were drawn to Cornwall
by its quiet beauty, simplicity of life and quality of light. The sale included
19th and 20th Century paintings, sculpture, ceramics and prints.
Among the highlights that were auctioned were a number of paintings by Walter
Langley, as well as works by Edwin Harris, Henry Scott Tuke, Sir Terry Frost,
Paul Feiler, Dame Barbara Hepworth, prints by Ben Nicholson and ceramics by Bernard
Leach, Hamada Shoji and Janet Leach.
Peter Rees, Director of 19th Century paintings, who was in charge of the sale,
said: “This is the first auction dedicated to the artists and craftsman
of these two small communities. This small area of West Cornwall has inspired
some of the most talented British artists of the past two centuries, and the sale
recognised these artists’ contributions and celebrated their work. From
the naturalistic paintings of the Newlyn artists, who emulated the en plein air
approach of their continental counterparts, to the abstract works of St Ives avant-garde
artists, this sale charted the history of an exceptional chapter in British art”
Towards the end of the late 19th Century, spurred on by the arrival of the Great
Western Railway, artists started to migrate down to Cornwall, inspired by the
magnificent land and seascapes. Newlyn became an important artistic centre, with
many painters inspired by the activities of this small fishing village. Early
settlers included Walter Langley, Edwin Harris, Stanhope Forbes and Frank Bramley.
As the century continued, many renowned artists visited the community, with luminaries
such as Harold and Laura Knight, Harold Harvey and A.J. Munnings all producing
work there.
Unlike many artistic communities however, which normally dissipate within a few
years, the story did not end with Newlyn. In the late 1920s Ben Nicholson and
Christopher Wood visited another fishing community, St Ives, and discovered, quite
by chance, the naïve artist Alfred Wallis. This encounter resulted in artists’
attention focusing suddenly on St Ives. When war broke out in 1939 Nicholson and
his new wife Barbara Hepworth - already by then fully-fledged abstract artists
- moved to the relative safety of St Ives. They decided to remain there after
the war, sealing the town’s reputation as the centre of modern and abstract
art. The immediate post war period saw the arrival of a number of younger artists
including Terry Frost, Patrick Heron, Sandra Blow and Paul Feiler, who at the
age of 90 continues to live and work in Cornwall. This period is widely considered
to be the golden era of art in St Ives and many fine examples of these artists
work were found in Bonhams sale.
The sale also included ceramics by the pioneering potters who are inextricably
linked with Cornwall. Chief among them is Bernard Leach, who settled in St Ives
in the 1920s, establishing the world famous Leach Pottery. Accredited as the father
of studio pottery in Britain, Bernard Leach has exerted a profound influence on
the field of contemporary ceramics. Other seminal potters whose history is closely
associated with that of the Leach Pottery include Hamada Shoji, Michael Cardew
and Katherine Pleydell.
Some highlights included:
Ø Henry Scott Tuke (British, 1858-1929), Keeping her off, oil on canvas,
sold £57,600
Ø Walter Langley, RI (British, 1852-1922), Cornish fisherfolk, oil on canvas,
sold £45,600
Ø Sir Terry Frost R.A, (British, 1915-2003), Linen, White and Red, oil
and linen on canvas, sold £36,000
Ø Ben Nicholson O.M. (British, 1894-1982), Off Brown Vertical, pencil,
wash, crayon and collage, sold £30,000
Further information and images Charlotte Wood +44 (0) 207 4688331 or email press@bonhams.com
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Contacts |
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U.K.
Julian Roup
Press Office & Marketing
Tel: +44 (0)207 468 8259
e-mail Press
U.S.A.
Levi Morgan
Director
Public Relations
San Francisco
+ 1 (415) 503 3348
Australia
Kieran Grogan
National Marketing and Media Manager
Bonhams & Goodman
Tel: +61 3 9823 6270
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