Footnotes

Provenance
The Artist, by whom gifted to
David Steen, thence by descent to the present owners
Private Collection, U.K.

The present work was given by the artist to the photographer David Steen (1936–2015). During his long career from the late 1950s onwards Steen focused his camera on film stars, rock stars, prime ministers, a few criminals and countless men, women and children going about their everyday lives. The obituaries paid tribute: 'One of Fleet Street's most celebrated photographers...' (The Telegraph); 'Acclaimed for his portraits of cultural icons' (The Times).

In the sweltering summer of 1976, Steen was commissioned by The Sunday Times Magazine to photograph Ivon Hitchens at his home near Petworth, West Sussex. The painter and photographer hit it off. Hitchens was photographed indoors and outdoors, at lunch, with his wife Mollie and, naturally, at work, there at the easel, a brush in each hand. Steen remembered that Hitchens reacted to the call of a bird flying above, and registered the note with a brushstroke on the canvas. When Steen left, he did so with a copy of Alan Bowness's Ivon Hitchens monograph inscribed by the painter, 'In memory of a very enjoyable day here from 10am to 4.30pm...'

The following day Hitchens wrote to Steen. 'We much enjoyed having you...' and then: 'Please keep the attractions of this place – if any – to your own private concerns. You would be doing us a grave disservice if you divulged the address to all and sundry. There are always too many distractions and – in these times – too few "clients" as such, and both take up precious painting time and daylight, with tiresome letter writing.' Hitchens signed off, 'We hope to see you again some day.' They did indeed meet again and stayed in touch. In the summer of 1977, Steen visited Hitchens at his home and was presented with this oil on canvas, Painted Nude: Dark Hair. The shots featured in The Sunday Times Magazine on 9th April 1978, shortly after the painter turned 85.

We are grateful to Peter Khoroche for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.