Major works of Northern Art are to be auctioned this October in Tennants Auctioneers’ Modern and Contemporary Art Sale in North Yorkshire, led by an important and rare seascape by L.S. Lowry (1887-1976). “The North Sea”, which is offered with an estimate of £400,000-600,000 plus buyer’s premium, was last seen on public view in an exhibition in 1967, the year after it was painted, and has since been in private hands.
At once both beautiful and dangerously powerful, the sea was a constant source of inspiration to the solitary artist, and he painted it throughout his life. Lowry frequently stayed for long periods of time at the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland, and the view from the seafront became the inspiration for the present painting. Two pencil sketches by Lowry from the same collection will also be offered in the sale, ‘A Pond’ with an estimate of £15,000-25,000, and ‘Man Taken Ill’ with an estimate of £12,000-18,000. The three works are being sold from the Estate of a Lady in the North West.
A significant bronze maquette by Henry Moore (1898-1986), one of the most important British artists of the 20th century, is offered with an estimate of £35,000-45,000. From an edition of 11+1, the 21cm high maquette “Warrior with Shield” was purchased from the Leicester Galleries in London, 1954, by Professor Douglas Grant and it has remained in the possession of his family ever since. In “Warrior with Shield” Henry Moore brought together three threads of inspiration, Primitive Art, Classical Art, and the natural world, and transformed them through abstraction into a great Modernist work of art. Drawing on his experiences during two world wars, Moore created a powerful symbol of the human price of conflict.
From the North East of England are four works by mining artist Norman Cornish (1919-2014), whose paintings depicting the mining community of Spennymoor, in which he lived and worked, offer an intimate insight into the social history of the area. Highlights include “Thompson’s Newsagent”, which was purchased by the vendors from the artist as it depicted their shop (estimate: £2,500-4,000) and “Edward Street Man with Dogs” (estimate: £3,000-5,000). Fellow mining artist Tom McGuinness (1926-2006) is represented by his “Miners Going to the Shaft” (estimate: £4,000-6,000) and “Miners Going on Shift” (estimate: £3,000-5,000).
Other notable works of Northern Art include “Contrade of the Goose, Siena”, by Joe Scarborough (b.1938) (estimate: £4,000-6,000), ‘Figures before a church in the snow’ by Brian ‘Braaq’ Shields (1951-1997) (estimate: £2,500-4,000), and “Docklands at Dawn” and “A Walk Through Time” by Alexander Millar (b.1960), both carrying estimates of £5,000-8,000.
Away from the North, the sale will also offer a collection of paintings by Anglo-French artist Paul Maze (1887-1979), often referred to as ‘The Last of the Post-Impressionists’, which are sold with provenance from the artist’s family. He painted with immediacy, and his skills were once described by his lifelong friend Winston Churchill as “with the fewest of strokes, he can create an impression at once true and beautiful”. Also from the estate of Paul Maze is ‘Sailboats before an island’, a pencil and watercolour sketch by Paul Signac (1863-1935) (estimate: £2,500-4,000).
Further highlights include ‘Spring at Oriel’ by Ken Howard (1932-2022), and two unusual works by maritime artist Montague Dawson (1895-1973). Dawson is known for his dramatic depictions of sailing ships, usually clippers, and warships of the 18th and 19th centuries, however, the two works in the sale comprise ‘The avenue to Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire, seat of the de Manvers family’, which is being sold together with a letter from the artist to Lady Manvers (estimate: £300-500), and ‘The Castaways’ (estimate: £2,000-4,000), which depicts two shipwrecked men on a desert island signalling a passing ship and also comes with provenance from Lady Manvers.
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