
Penny Day
Head of UK and Ireland
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Head of UK and Ireland

Head of Department

Director
PROVENANCE:
Sir Herbert Read, thence by descent to
John Read
Thence by family descent to the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.
This hitherto unknown study relates to Scott's 1959 oil, simply titled Painting (William Scott Foundation Catalogue Raisonné number 395) which was executed as an entry for the Premio Ariete prize organised by the critic Michel Tapié for the Galleria dell'Ariete in Milan. Entrants, which where selected by jury, included Jean Dubuffet, Alberto Burri, Sam Francis, Graham Sutherland, Francis Bacon and Clyfford Still. Amongst the jurors for the competition was the pre-eminent art critic Sir Herbert Read. A number of letters dated between the 27 February and 25 April 1959 from critic to artist illustrate how Read constructively suggested Scott's entry for the prize should take form. Although these suggestions did not lead Scott to victory on this occasion (first place went to Burri), he clearly valued Read's advice enough to gift him the present work as a keepsake.
We are grateful to Dr. Lucy Inglis of the William Scott Foundation for her assistance in cataloguing this work.