11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
76
⊕ JOHN CHRISTOPHERSON (BRITISH 1921-1996)
CRIMSON SUN
signed and numbered 231 / CHRISTOPHERSON on the reverse; signed, titled, dated and numbered 231/ JOHN CHRISTOPHERSON / 'CRIMSON SUN' / completed 7th April 1964 on a label on the reverse; oil on board; 18 x 15cm; 7 x 6in (20.5 x 18cm; 8 x 7in framed)
Christopherson began painting seriously only when in his forties. Long fascinated by ancient stones, pavements, mosaics, archeological sites, walls and buildings - surfaces that exhibited the inexorable passing of time - he celebrated what he described as 'the forlorn poetry of the unregarded' in his work. Of Cornish ancestry, he regularly visited St Ives and admired the work of Ben Nicholson, William Scott and his friend Alan Reynolds. But his main influences were from the Continent, including Tàpies, Brancusi, Giacometti and Fautrier. He exhibited with the Leicester Galleries and Agnews and in 1979 George Melly acquired a number of his works for the Arts Council Collection.
Sold for £900
CRIMSON SUN
signed and numbered 231 / CHRISTOPHERSON on the reverse; signed, titled, dated and numbered 231/ JOHN CHRISTOPHERSON / 'CRIMSON SUN' / completed 7th April 1964 on a label on the reverse; oil on board; 18 x 15cm; 7 x 6in (20.5 x 18cm; 8 x 7in framed)
Christopherson began painting seriously only when in his forties. Long fascinated by ancient stones, pavements, mosaics, archeological sites, walls and buildings - surfaces that exhibited the inexorable passing of time - he celebrated what he described as 'the forlorn poetry of the unregarded' in his work. Of Cornish ancestry, he regularly visited St Ives and admired the work of Ben Nicholson, William Scott and his friend Alan Reynolds. But his main influences were from the Continent, including Tàpies, Brancusi, Giacometti and Fautrier. He exhibited with the Leicester Galleries and Agnews and in 1979 George Melly acquired a number of his works for the Arts Council Collection.
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
