11th Dec, 2024 12:00
Fine Paintings & Works on Paper
71
⊕ RONALD SEARLE (BRITISH 1920-2011)
EVOLUTION - SKETCH FOR LE MONDE
signed and dated Ronald Searle 2001 lower right; signed, titled and dated Ronald Searle Evolution (Le Monde: 3 Oct 2001 / first edition) lower left
pen and ink on paper
47 x 33.5cm; 18 1/2x 13 1/4in
75 x 57cm; 29 1/2 x 22 1/2in (framed)
Property from a Private Collector, West London
Provenance
Chris Beetles Gallery, London
Acquired from the above circa 2014
A master of modern caricature, Ronald Searle's unique approach has had a tremendous influence on the work of other graphic artists. Since 1995, Searle has applied his sardonic trade to the coveted editorial page of the French daily newspaper Le Monde, for which the present lot is a preliminary sketch. The deceptive simplicity of his lines, shading and overexaggerated facial contortions produce arresting images that are rife with Searle's signature dark, satirical wit.
Sold for £950
EVOLUTION - SKETCH FOR LE MONDE
signed and dated Ronald Searle 2001 lower right; signed, titled and dated Ronald Searle Evolution (Le Monde: 3 Oct 2001 / first edition) lower left
pen and ink on paper
47 x 33.5cm; 18 1/2x 13 1/4in
75 x 57cm; 29 1/2 x 22 1/2in (framed)
Property from a Private Collector, West London
Provenance
Chris Beetles Gallery, London
Acquired from the above circa 2014
A master of modern caricature, Ronald Searle's unique approach has had a tremendous influence on the work of other graphic artists. Since 1995, Searle has applied his sardonic trade to the coveted editorial page of the French daily newspaper Le Monde, for which the present lot is a preliminary sketch. The deceptive simplicity of his lines, shading and overexaggerated facial contortions produce arresting images that are rife with Searle's signature dark, satirical wit.
Auction: Fine Paintings & Works on Paper, 11th Dec, 2024
Auction Location: London, UK
Our sale of Fine Paintings and Works on Paper features 80 lots spanning four centuries. It includes works from two significant deceased estates: art dealer Alexander Iolas who promoted the bright and playful works by Jean Hugo and Niki de Sainte Phalle (lots 44-52), and gallerist Karsten Schubert, led by a green revolver on a vibrant red background by Michael Craig-Martin (lot 53), currently the subject of a retrospective at the Royal Academy, Piccadilly.
Colour dominates many of the post-War works. A stripe painting by the leading Washington Colour Field artist Gene Davis is a sale highlight. Davis worked alongside Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland also from D.C. in the 1950s and ‘60s perfecting his distinctive style. 65-6 by Davis (lot 58) dances and rhymes before the viewer’s eye. From the same collection and similarly optical are the works by Joe Tilson (lot 60) from 1965, and a rare painting by Justin Knowles (lot 59). Fellow colourist Howard Hodgkin is represented by Here we are in Croydon from 1979 (lot 63).
Modern British is led by an attractive group of watercolours by John Nash (lots 34-37), all acquired from the artist by the present owner’s grandfather. Other British figurative painters featured in the sale include Alan Lowdnes with a street scene in Altrincham near Manchester (lot 40), and three sketches by the young Michael Andrews (lots 41-43). Elsewhere there are works by John Piper and humorous illustrations by graphic artists Ronald Searle and Quentin Blake (lots 71 & 72).
Artists from further afield include two 18th/ 19th century Cuzco paintings from Peru and good Australian examples: a watercolour by John Russell of the Pont de Neuilly, and an atmospheric painting of a dust storm in the New South Wales out back by John Charles Goodhart of 1907 capturing a storm that year (lots 31 & 38). ‘en plein-air’-ists in the sale include Otto Modersohn, co-founder of Worpswede school in Bavaria in the 1890s (lot 19) and three delightful paintings of children by Scottish painter Gemmel Hutchison, influenced by Barbizon in France and the Hague School in Holland (lots 27, 28 & 30).
For more information please contact us | pictures@olympiaauctions.com | +44 (0)20 7806 5541
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 8th December: 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Monday 9th December: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Tuesday 10th December: 10:00am to 5:00pm
