11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
18
⊕ ITHELL COLQUHOUN (BRITISH 1906-1988)
STUDY OF TULIPS IN A VASE
signed and dated Colquhoun / 37 lower right, pencil and watercolour on paper, 34 x 24cm; 13 1/4 x 9 1/2in (51 x 40cm; 20 x 15 3/4in framed)
With the recent 2025 retrospective on Colquhoun at Tate Britain there has been a timely renewal of interest in the artist's extraordinary body of work and writing (see lots 299-300). Following her studies at the Slade, Colquhoun travelled to Paris where in 1931 she enrolled at the Académie Colorassi and met Surrealists Salvador Dali and André Breton. Her return to London coincided with the 1936 International Exhibition of Surrealism organised by Roland Penrose, and her solo exhibition Exotic Plant Decorations at the Fine Art Society the same year focused on her botanical paintings clearly reflected the influence of Surrealism.The present work dates from these early years when she painted plants and flowers in exaggerated size and detail and explored their organic forms.
Sold for £4,600
STUDY OF TULIPS IN A VASE
signed and dated Colquhoun / 37 lower right, pencil and watercolour on paper, 34 x 24cm; 13 1/4 x 9 1/2in (51 x 40cm; 20 x 15 3/4in framed)
With the recent 2025 retrospective on Colquhoun at Tate Britain there has been a timely renewal of interest in the artist's extraordinary body of work and writing (see lots 299-300). Following her studies at the Slade, Colquhoun travelled to Paris where in 1931 she enrolled at the Académie Colorassi and met Surrealists Salvador Dali and André Breton. Her return to London coincided with the 1936 International Exhibition of Surrealism organised by Roland Penrose, and her solo exhibition Exotic Plant Decorations at the Fine Art Society the same year focused on her botanical paintings clearly reflected the influence of Surrealism.The present work dates from these early years when she painted plants and flowers in exaggerated size and detail and explored their organic forms.
Auction: The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector, 11th Feb, 2026
Auction Location: London, UK
John Russell Taylor was a compulsive collector. When he died at the age of ninety, his two bedroom flat on the corner of Brook Green was floor to ceiling with books and pictures that he had collected over the last seventy years. A precocious talent he was awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge aged 16 and graduated with a starred First Class degree. Film, theatre and art critic for The Times for more than four decades, he wrote thousands of articles and reviews for the newspaper. He also wrote over sixty books – critical studies, biographies, and monographs. He was appointed professor of Film at the University of Southern California during the 1970s, when he was asked by Alfred Hitchcock to write his biography. Hitch remains the standard text on the film director. John's interests ranged across all aspects of the arts from Art Nouveau book illustration to Vorticism, fan paintings, poetry and stage design. Struck by the visual rather than the value of a work of art, the sale of his picture collection gives a flavour of the full gamut of his encyclopaedic mind, a man remembered for his phenomenal range of reference, his extraordinary talent for writing and his warm and generous character.
For a copy of the printed catalogue, email pictures@olympiaauctions.com
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
View Press Release for more information
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
