India Ross
Associate Specialist
Lot 140AR
Gary Bunt(British, 1957-2025)A Man and his Dog
Ending from 26 November 2025, 12:00 GMT
Online, London, Knightsbridge£800 - £1,200
Ask about this lot
Catherine King
Senior Specialist
Gary Bunt (British, 1957-2025)
A Man and his Dog
signed 'GARY/BUNT' (lower left)
watercolour, acrylic and pencil on card
12.5 x 19.5cm (4 15/16 x 7 11/16in).
signed 'GARY/BUNT' (lower left)
watercolour, acrylic and pencil on card
12.5 x 19.5cm (4 15/16 x 7 11/16in).
Footnotes
The following collection of paintings by Gary Bunt, showcase the artist's humorous yet sincere style. The present works embody the artist's interest in capturing the quiet beauty of the humble, everyday life, and the peace that can be found in the natural landscapes around us, shown in the innocent charm of Postbox in the Snow (lot 136) to the companionship of Chelsea Pensioners (lot 144).
A self-taught artist, inspired by artists such as Christopher Wood, Terry Frost and Alfred Wallis, Bunt's work celebrates the familiar moments of life of the everyday man, such as the solitary figure calmly stood on the beach in Counting Waves (lot 141). In many of his paintings, the viewer follows the narrative of the central character Bert, drawn initially as the artist's father. Bunt often reflected on this character and aimed to represent 'anybody's old man'. Over time this has come to represent the artist himself, often paired with a small dog, as shown in lots 137 and 140, which enables the viewer 'to imagine the dog to be their dog, and name them'. The artist aimed for these familiar figures to not only display his story, but to find an affiliation with the viewers own narrative. The underlying wit of the works are often paired with poems on the reverse, tying his affiliation with visual imagery and written storytelling.
The following lots offer us a glimpse at the artist's output, from works on paper to larger oil studies forming a coherent body of work that reflects Bunt's broader concerns, revealing an artist who was committed to exploring these intersections of storytelling, in humour and solace, through a mode of expression that is deceptively simple yet humane.