11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
23
⊕ JOHN CRAXTON RA (BRITISH 1922-2009)
SLEEPING BOY
pencil on paper laid down; 28 x 20cm; 11 x 8in (49.5 x 40.5cm; 19 1/2 x 16in framed)
Exhibited: London, Christopher Hull Gallery, Freud and Craxton, 1983, no. 74
Executed in 1942. There appears to be a sketch of two birds with long necks, possibly swans, on the verso, just visible through the paper. On a label on the reverse JRT notes his conversation with Craxton at the time of the 1983 exhibition: 'this drawing comes from a sketchbook which was used turn-and turn-about by John Craxton and Lucien Freud in 1942, when they were sharing a studio and socially inseperable. In the 1983 Christopher Hull show it was classified as a Craxton, but Craxton himself told me that he really could not remember for sure and thought it was more likely to be by Freud - something I think one might guess anyway from comparing it with the known contemporary works of the two artists'. Catherine Lampert, however, disputes this interpretation of the drawing considering it technically and stylisticaly to be by Craxton alone, a view also shared by Ian Collins, author of John Craxton, A Life of Gifts.
Sold for £42,000
SLEEPING BOY
pencil on paper laid down; 28 x 20cm; 11 x 8in (49.5 x 40.5cm; 19 1/2 x 16in framed)
Exhibited: London, Christopher Hull Gallery, Freud and Craxton, 1983, no. 74
Executed in 1942. There appears to be a sketch of two birds with long necks, possibly swans, on the verso, just visible through the paper. On a label on the reverse JRT notes his conversation with Craxton at the time of the 1983 exhibition: 'this drawing comes from a sketchbook which was used turn-and turn-about by John Craxton and Lucien Freud in 1942, when they were sharing a studio and socially inseperable. In the 1983 Christopher Hull show it was classified as a Craxton, but Craxton himself told me that he really could not remember for sure and thought it was more likely to be by Freud - something I think one might guess anyway from comparing it with the known contemporary works of the two artists'. Catherine Lampert, however, disputes this interpretation of the drawing considering it technically and stylisticaly to be by Craxton alone, a view also shared by Ian Collins, author of John Craxton, A Life of Gifts.
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
