11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
6
⊕ FRANK SULLY (BRITISH 1898-1992)
NOVEMBER NIGHT BETWEEN THE WARS
signed Sully lower left; oil on board; 22 x 32cm; 8 1/2 x 12 1/2in (27 x 36.5cm; 10 1/2 x 14 1/4in framed)
The present work depicts wreaths laid at the base of the Royal Artillery Company Memorial, Hyde Park Corner after Remembrance Day. The memorial, to commemorate the 50,000 soldiers of the Company who lost their lives in the First World War, was designed by Charles Sargeant Jagger and unveiled in 1925. The son of a picture framer, Frank Sully studied at the Hammersmith School of Art and the Académie Julian, Paris. He moved with his family to Cornwall in 1920, but returned to work in London. His later abstract work was influenced by the work of Naum Gabo and the Russian Constructivists.
Sold for £420
NOVEMBER NIGHT BETWEEN THE WARS
signed Sully lower left; oil on board; 22 x 32cm; 8 1/2 x 12 1/2in (27 x 36.5cm; 10 1/2 x 14 1/4in framed)
The present work depicts wreaths laid at the base of the Royal Artillery Company Memorial, Hyde Park Corner after Remembrance Day. The memorial, to commemorate the 50,000 soldiers of the Company who lost their lives in the First World War, was designed by Charles Sargeant Jagger and unveiled in 1925. The son of a picture framer, Frank Sully studied at the Hammersmith School of Art and the Académie Julian, Paris. He moved with his family to Cornwall in 1920, but returned to work in London. His later abstract work was influenced by the work of Naum Gabo and the Russian Constructivists.
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
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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
