Window to Hardy Road, 1965, by John Bratby, oil on canvas, 3ft 11in x 2ft 8in (1.19m x 81cm), offered for £12,000 by Julian Hartnoll.
The show, running from March 7-19 at The Maas Gallery, features paintings by the British Kitchen Sink painter alongside works by French 20th century ‘naïf’ artists.
Both groups of works have been underappreciated, but with the fashion for figurative art on the rise again, according to the seasoned dealer, now could be the time to snap up some prime pieces.
Though Hartnoll sold several large Bratbys to Charles Saatchi in the early 2000s and though French outsider artists had a vogue in the 1930s, the show in question seeks to boost their profile for a modern audience.
Among the French artists represented are Emile Blondel (1893-1970), Camille Bombois (1883-1970) and Jean Fous (1901-71), with works offered at prices of £1200-12,000.
Flea Market in the Rue Mouffetaud, by Jean Fous, 1944, 3ft 7in x 4ft 7in (1.09 x 1.44m).
Hartnoll says that this is an area of the market “where there are still significant pictures which can be bought by a younger generation for accessible prices”.
He has been dealing and exhibiting for more than 50 years, starting with the Pre-Raphaelites and moving on to the Symbolists, and has helped build the 19th century collections of Fred Koch and Joe Setton.
Hartnoll has since focused on 20th century works and deals online through Hartnoll & Daughters.
