A Hoyland bought for £10 and other Mod Brit highlights
06 April 2023 Sworders conducts its biannual sale of Modern & Contemporary Art on April 25. Of particular note in our brief selection of highlights is a small abstract by John Hoyland. Bought at auction last year for £12, it is now expected to fetch £3000-5000.
This oil by the celebrated British abstract painter John Hoyland (1934-2011) was bought by a keen-eyed buyer at an auction house in Hertfordshire last year for just £12. Now fully authenticated, Little Dancer, that is signed and dated 1982, is expected to fetch £3000-5000.
Edward Bawden and his great friend, Eric Ravilious, discovered the village of Great Bardfield while cycling in Essex one summer. They craved its peace and serenity in comparison to London and soon after moved to The Brick House with their wives Charlotte Epton and Tirzah Garwood, who were also artists.
Sworders' sale includes a number of Bawden’s watercolours and linocuts – some of local scenes.
This 45 x 56cm watercolour, gouache, ink and pen titled A Snowy Day, High Street, Great Bardfield, is signed and dated 1955. Part of the Bawden exhibition held at The Minories, Colchester in 1973, it is expected to sell for between £7000-9000.
The back of the painting is signed 'Little Dancer' dated 1982 and signed by John Hoyland.
The vendor had spotted this unframed canvas stacked behind a mirror when viewing a local sale. It received no other bids so he managed to buy it for just £10 – plus £2 fees.
When he arrived home, he began removing a thick layer of dust with a vacuum cleaner and the artist’s name appeared. Following some quick internet research that revealed Hoyland’s importance to the Modern British movement, he took the picture to Sworders to be authenticated.
Bird Cage No.1 by Alan Davie (1920-2014) is signed and dated verso for 1956 - a pivotal point in the artist’s career.
He was one of the first British artists of his generation to be exposed to Abstract Expressionism and the New York school and through Peggy Guggenheim was introduced to the dealership Gimpel Fils.
In 1956, the year of this work, Davie had his first New York exhibition with works purchased by the Museum of Modern Art. Estimate £15,000-20,000.
Christopher Nevinson (1889-1946) is best known for his powerful scenes of the First World War but both before and after the conflict he painted more tranquil landscapes.
Nevinson sketched by the River Thames with his father whilst a student at the Slade. He returned there in the early 1920s with his wife, Kathleen, to escape the noise of a jazz club that opened above his flat in Euston Road. This print titled Marlow was first exhibited at Alex Reid & Lefevre, London, in April 1927. Estimate £1000-1500.
The presence of such artistic heavyweights in Great Bardfield encouraged the arrival of other artists, such as John Aldridge (1905-1983). His work is selling for increasingly high sums.
This impressive oil titled Path to the House depicting the artist's garden at Place House, Great Bardfield is estimated at £5000-7000. Signed and dated for 1973, it was purchased at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1975.
This ceramic sculpture by ceramicist and artist Sir Grayson Perry was created while making the BAFTA nominated series Rites of Passage. For the four-part show exploring the topics of Death, Marriage, Birth and Coming of Age, the Turner Prize winner travelled the world exploring rituals across different cultures.
The gold-glazed Alien Baby was one of 12 created for the neonatal team at the Broomfield Hospital, Essex. He viewed the nurses as the crew of a spaceship, their modern technology reminiscent of the light up controls of a flight deck.
Two years ago, Sworders sold the Alien Baby given to Abbie and Laura, the Essex based couple whose story was a key part of the episode.
The vendor of the piece (numbered 10 for the edition) was the Ward Administrator at Broomfield. It is estimated to sell for £5000-7000.