16th Sep, 2026 12:00
London | Ancient & Modern
80
⊕ MARY FEDDEN RA (BRITISH 1915-2012)
THE WHITE CAT
signed and dated Fedden 1985 lower left
watercolour on paper
13.5 x 19cm (47.5 x 50cm framed)
Property from a British Private Collection
Provenance
Clark Art Gallery, Hale, Cheshire
Purchased from the above by the present owner
Fedden’s association with London is very much rooted in her move in 1949 to Durham Wharf, a complex of studios on the Thames at Chiswick, where she lived and worked for the rest of her life. In 1951 she married the artist Julian Trevelyan (1910-1988), whom she had met before the war. Durham Wharf became an artistic hub and from the 1960s, Trevelyan and Mary Fedden established an ‘Open Studio’ for three days each summer and this proved so popular, the format has become nationwide.
Fedden's influence spanned decades, especially through her teaching roles in London at the Royal College of Art (1958-1964) where she was the first female teacher in the Painting School, her students included David Hockney. Fedden painted right up until her final years in Chiswick (she died at 96) never straying far from her preferred subjects: still life, seaside scenes, and those famously expressive cats. Fedden travelled widely with Trevelyan, including to Spain in 1985 where the present work is set. The flattened perspective here gives the work a dreamlike quality.
Sold for £2,200
THE WHITE CAT
signed and dated Fedden 1985 lower left
watercolour on paper
13.5 x 19cm (47.5 x 50cm framed)
Property from a British Private Collection
Provenance
Clark Art Gallery, Hale, Cheshire
Purchased from the above by the present owner
Fedden’s association with London is very much rooted in her move in 1949 to Durham Wharf, a complex of studios on the Thames at Chiswick, where she lived and worked for the rest of her life. In 1951 she married the artist Julian Trevelyan (1910-1988), whom she had met before the war. Durham Wharf became an artistic hub and from the 1960s, Trevelyan and Mary Fedden established an ‘Open Studio’ for three days each summer and this proved so popular, the format has become nationwide.
Fedden's influence spanned decades, especially through her teaching roles in London at the Royal College of Art (1958-1964) where she was the first female teacher in the Painting School, her students included David Hockney. Fedden painted right up until her final years in Chiswick (she died at 96) never straying far from her preferred subjects: still life, seaside scenes, and those famously expressive cats. Fedden travelled widely with Trevelyan, including to Spain in 1985 where the present work is set. The flattened perspective here gives the work a dreamlike quality.
Auction: London | Ancient & Modern, 16th Sep, 2026
London is a city which has had a greater impact on culture around the world than almost any other, and it has never been more important than now to shine a light on its remarkable citizens and history. From Magna Carta to the television London has, again and again, been the source from which progress has radiated. The present sale takes us from a medieval spur found under Cannon Street station, to a medal minted to commemorate the Millennium, from prints and paintings, to clocks and pistols. This sale is a sensational opportunity to acquire a small piece of this incomparable place. Olympia is a proudly London-based auction house and we are thrilled to be offering the inaugural instalment of this sale.
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 13th September: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 14th September: 10am to 8.00pm (Drinks from 5pm)
Tuesday 15th September: 10am to 5pm
