Fred Lawson: A Private Collection

A Private Collection from Redmire, North Yorkshire of works by Fred Lawson will be coming up for sale this Autumn. The first tranche of the collection, comprising 15 works, will be sold in the Country House Sale on 14th September, with further pictures sold in the Antiques and Interiors Sale on 25th October. 

Biography

Fred Lawson was born in 1888 to a loom-weaving and mill owning family in Yeadon to the north of Leeds, one of five siblings. Lawson’s father, George, worked in the family woollen mill, and his mother, Emma, hailed from Lincoln (trips to visit his mother’s family in Lincoln are documented in paintings in this exhibition).

Plagued by ill-health throughout his childhood, Lawson was not strong enough to enter the mill, but was supported through six years of art school by his father. After first studying at Dewsbury Technical College, he attended Leeds School of Art until he was 20, during which time he spent a year at South Kensington School of Art (later the Royal College of Art) where he earned his teaching diploma. 

In 1910 Lawson first ventured into Wensleydale, arriving in Castle Bolton with friend and fellow artist George Graham. During their month’s stay, they were visited by fellow Leeds students Jacob Kramer and Philip Naviasky – who were to become regular visitors to the Dale. The month spent in the Dales left a lasting impression, and after returning to Leeds to take up a teaching position, he handed in his notice after two terms and returned to Wensleydale. After initially taking temporary lodgings, he and George Graham settled in Castle Bolton, sharing a cottage and studio.

Lawson began his life as an artist, living simply like those around him, painting and exploring his new home. During those early years Lawson and Graham made several painting trips to Europe, visiting France, Belgium and Holland to expand their artistic horizons. During his first trip to France in 1911, he came under the influence of the Barbizon School of Artists, who worked en plein air in the countryside around Fontainebleau, just outside Paris.

Back in Castle Bolton Lawson settled into the Dales, embedding himself into rural life and the local community. He painted every day, exhibited, and supplemented his income teaching art locally as his reputation grew.

It was through his informal roles as an art tutor that Lawson first met Muriel Metcalfe, whose talent as an artist he recognised at an early age. Leyburn-born Muriel went on to study at Art College in Newcastle, and on her return to Wensleydale she often joined Lawson to paint. Like-minded souls, the pair married in 1933 and settled in a cottage in Castle Bolton. Money may have been tight, but they lived simply and happily. They were joined in 1934 by their beloved daughter Sonia, herself now a renowned artist and Royal Academician.

For 58 years Lawson’s fascination with capturing Wensleydale and its people never waned. He continued to walk the hills and dales in all weathers, armed with paint box and paper, just as much a local landmark as the rocks and trees he so clearly loved.

Highlights of the collection include Leyburn Fair (estimate: £400-600) and "Scarth Nick House, Redmire with the Peacocks Builders" (estimate: £250-400).