‘This special world of mine is constantly changing and many of the people who inhabited it are no longer with us. Many of the places that once helped to make up that world have also passed into time. The local collieries have gone too, together with the Pit Road. However, in my memory and I hope in my drawings, they live on’
– Norman Cornish
The popularity of prominent northern artists depicting industrial life in the North East is exemplified by the work of Norman Cornish (1919-2014), and six of his works from a Private Collection will be offered in the Modern & Contemporary Art Sale on 5th October. The collection comprises examples of Cornish's favoured subjects: children at play with "Snow Balling" (estimate: £4,000-6,000 all figures exclude buyer's premium); street scenes with Street Scene with Horse and Cart (estimate: £2,000-3,000) and "Little Snow Scene" (estimate: £800-1,200); pub life with Man at Bar (estimate: £600-800); and his family with The Artist's Wife Sarah Drying Their Son John (estimate: £3,000-5,000) and "Boy on Stool" (estimate: £1,200-1,800).
Biography
Norman Stansfield Cornish was born in Spennymoor, a once booming pit town in County Durham. Since the beginning of the 19th century mining in the Great Northern Coalfield had dominated life in the North East, and collieries and associated industries were the major employers in the region. Cornish entered the mines at the age of 14, having put aside his ambitions for further education, and began his working life in the nearby Dean and Chapter Colliery.
However, shortly after starting his mining career, Cornish learnt of a sketching club in the Spennymoor Settlement, a recreational centre with art and drama groups, which later became known as ‘The Pitman’s Academy’. Having been accepted as a member of the club at the age of 15, Cornish found a focus in his life. He drew inspiration from his surroundings and documented the everyday world of the miner; he saw in his fellow men pride, loyalty and strength, born out of the hardships of their daily lives, portraying them with a deep reverence. Cornish’s reputation grew slowly over the following decades, and from the 1950s he was exhibited nationally; however, it was not until 1966 that he left the mines to paint full-time.
His ability to translate human behaviour and interaction with a compassionate eye and to give an insight into life in mining communities has made Cornish one of our most important contemporary artists and a vital figure in the history of the North East. However, it is the warmth and obvious love for his fellow man infused in all his work that captures the imagination, and makes him one of the most sought-after contemporary artists in the country.
Talk
To coincide with the viewing of the sale, on 3rd October Norman Cornish's son-in-law Mike Thornton will be giving a talk Mr Cornish and Mr Lowry: A Tale of Two Artists, an introduction to the works of Norman Cornish and L.S. Lowry featured in the new seminal exhibition at The Bowes Museum. Kith and Kinship: Norman Cornish and L.S. Lowry
will be open at The Bowes Museum until January 19th 2025. MORE INFORMATION & TICKETS
