Edward Ardizzone in the Modern & Contemporary Art Sale

A group of five watercolour and ink drawings by Edward Ardizzone (1900-1979) from a private collection are amongst the highlights of the Modern & Contemporary Art Sale on 22^nd June. One of the finest illustrators of the 20^th Century, Ardizzone is known for his charming paintings, book illustrations and his work as a war artist from 1940-45.

His work is warm, witty and based on observations of the everyday life that surrounded him. Indeed, even his war work was praised for showing a more human side to war; he captured scenes of quiet heroics, of coping with everyday life in wartime. Ardizzone populated his pictures with instantly recognisable and relatable figures, and he had a keen eye for human interactions which he translated to paper with great humour.

Ardizzone was born in French Indochina to a Scottish mother and a Franco-Italian father, but he a spent his childhood in Suffolk and London, going on to study at Westminster Art School under Bernard Meninski. In addition to his extensive list of book illustrations, Ardizonne wrote and illustrated his own children’s books, including an award-winning series about a young boy called Tim. His work is held in many major collections including the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum, Tate Britain, the V&A, and the Ashmolean Museum.

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