-
John Piper (1903-1992)
Westminster School I (1961)
49 x 63 cm Signed lower right and numbered 66/100 lower left in pencil. Piper's skilled and characterful rendering of Westminster School's gateway, sometimes known as Burlington's Arch. The historic entrance to the school dates from 1734 and is carved with the names of former pupils. John Piper CH was an English painter, printmaker, and designer of stained-glass windows. His work often focused on the British landscape, especially churches and monuments, and included tapestry designs, book jackets, screen-prints, photography, fabrics and ceramics. Condition: Generally very good, gentle even toning to the paper. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Ken Howard RA (1932 - 2022)
Hampstead Church (St Stephen's Church, Rosslyn Hill)
Oil on board 75 x 91 cm Ken Howard's magnificent view of St Stephen's Church, Hampstead. The artist's rich, deep colour palette and use of impasto underline the neo-gothic style of the church. Howard died in Hampstead and painted several views of the area and its architecture. St Stephen's was designed in the Neo Gothic style by Samuel Sanders Teulon and he considered it the best of the 114 churches he designed, calling it his "mighty church". The building is no longer a church, but wedding ceremonies still take place there; it was made a Grade I listed building in 1974. Kenneth Howard OBE RA was a British artist and painter. He was President of the New English Art Club from 1998 to 2003. He studied at the Hornsey College of Art and the Royal College of Art. In 1958 he won a British Council Scholarship to Florence, and in 1973 and 1978 he was the Official War Artist to Northern Ireland, and 1973 - 80 worked in various locations, including Hong Kong, Cyprus and Canada with the British Army. In 1983 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA). In 1998 he became President of the New English Art Club, a post he held until 2003. In 1991 he was elected a Royal Academician (RA). Howard was given his OBE in 2010. Condition: very good. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Paul Ayshford Methuen (1886 - 1974)
Barrage Balloons, Regents Park, 9 March 1940
Oil on board 36 x 52 cm Signed lower left and titled and dated lower centre. Lord Methuen's oil painting of Regent's Park on a winter's day, with barrage balloons above. Barrage balloons were set up - stationed at an altitude of around 4,000 ft - as a barrier to enemy aircraft. The steel cables used to tether the balloons would take an enemy aeroplane out of the sky if it were to hit the cable. The UK had thousands of them, filled partly with hydrogen and operated largely by women, to protect significant towns, cities, and military installations. These strange blobs floated over the country, just asking to be captured by artists. Methuen had rejoined his regiment (serving as a Captain) in 1939 but was likely stationed in London for a while, when he might have had the opportunity to capture this scene. When Methuen painted the scene in 1940, Britain was still in the stage of the phoney war. The Battle of Britain did not commence until 10 July, and the Blitz not until 7 September - but Britain's defences were ready. Barrage balloons were important all the way through the War: they defended London against the V2 missiles; they defended the D-Day invasion fleet; and they protected the invasion army for months. Indeed, it was said that the vast amount of material brought into the UK from the States prior to D-Day would have caused Britain to sink under the sea, were it not for the huge number of barrage balloons holding the country up... Condition: excellent. Recently revarnished. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Walter Ernest Spradbery (1889 - 1969)
Temple Church and Library after Bombardment (1944)
Lithograph 66 x 57 cm Walter Spradbery's poster for the London Underground depicting a bombed Temple Church; a rainbow strikes hopefully out of the church's remains, and the sun shines on the golden stone of the building. The full poster bears the legend 'The Proud City' above Spradbery's design, and, beneath it, a quote from Charles Lamb: 'So may the winged horse, your ancient badge and cognisance, still flourish!'. This is a fantastic piece of British and London history, as well as a fantastically designed poster by a notable 20th century artist. The London Transport Museum has a copy of the poster, reference 1983/4/5751. 'The Proud City' was a series of six posters, all designed by Spradbery. They were commissioned by London Transport in 1944 as a defiant celebration of London's surviving the Blitz, and each poster also included a literary quotation. Walter Ernest Spradbery was a designer, painter, and poet who lived through the First and Second World Wars. He produced posters for LNER, Southern Railways, and London Transport, and was noted for his fascination with architecture and landscape. He studied, and later taught, at the Walthamstow School of Art. He was a pacifist and campaigned for nuclear disarmament, serving in the Medical Corps during the First World War and painting scenes of warfare for its duration, as well as during the Second World War. His anti-war stance and the horrors he had witnessed as a medic fed into his post-war poster design, especially 'The Proud City' poster series. Condition: generally very good. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Richard Beer (1928 - 2017)
Volterra
Etching and aquatint 60 x 45 cm Titled and numbered 4/70 lower left, and signed lower right, both in pencil. Beer's yellow-hued view of Volterra, a mountain town in Tuscany. Overseen by the beating Italian sun, a church perches atop a hill marked by trees and rocky outcrops. Born in London in 1928, just too late to serve in the Second World War, Richard Beer studied between 1945 - 1950 at the Slade School. Subsequently, a French Government scholarship allowed him to spend time in Paris at Atelier 17, working under Stanley William Hayter (1901 - 1988), one of the most significant print makers of the 20th Century – having spent the War in New York, advising as a camofleur, Hayter only returned to Paris in 1950. Subsequently Beer studied at the École des Beaux Arts, Paris. Working for John Cranko, choreographer for the Royal Ballet, Beer designed the sets and costumes for his The Lady and the Fool at Covent Garden, subsequently working for him following his move in 1961 to Stuttgart Ballet. Additionally he produced book illustrations and designed book jackets. Beer later taught print-making at the Chelsea School of Art, where he was a popular teacher. Probably his greatest work was a collaboration with John Betjeman to produce a portfolio of prints of ten Wren Churches in the City for Editions Alecto, copies of which are in The Government Art Collection. That collection contains a total of 54 prints by Beer, and the Tate Gallery’s collection holds seven. His Oxford series was also produced for Editions Alecto as was a series of predominantly architectural views in Southern Europe. Most of his prints are of architectural subjects. Condition: very good. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Trevor Bell (1930 - 2017)
Way Out Blue (1961)
Acrylic on paper 35 x 43 cm Signed and dated lower right. Bell's rosy-hued abstract composition is perhaps evoking an interior with window and curtains. The deep azure blue of the picture's title appears at the top right of the composition, curving away from the rest of the image. A sunny golden yellow drips in through the window panes, imbuing the scene with a hot, heady romanticism. Bell's idiosyncratic pictorial language allows us to experience the scene's hazy summer heat via the forms of sun, window, and wall. Bell was born in Leeds in 1930 and attended Leeds College of Art from 1947 to 1952 in a scholarship. The artist Terry Frost encouraged him to move to Cornwall, where he soon became a leading figure in the younger generation of the St Ives school. His first solo exhibition came in 1958, and the year after he was awarded the Paris Biennale International Painting Prize. The Tate began collecting his work in the 1960s, and Bell spent more time working and teaching in America. The Tate's 1985 St Ives exhibition featured Bell's work, and he was also included in the Tate St Ives' inaugural show. He returned from America in 1996 and settled down in isolated barn- and farmhouse-conversion studios near Penzance in Cornwall. He exhibited across England and America for the rest of his life, notably with his major solo exhibition at the Tate St Ives in 2004. Much of his work considers form and landscape via a dramatic use of colour and often on unusually-shaped (and sometimes multi-part) canvases. Condition: very good. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Walter Hoyle (1922-2000)
St Catharine's College, Cambridge (1973)
Linocut 72 x 56 cm Signed and dated '73 lower right, numbered 85 / 200 lower left, and signed below. Hoyle trained at Beckenham School of Art and the Royal College of Art. At the RA, he was strongly influenced by Edward Bawden, one of Britain’s greatest linocut printers. Bawden had been commissioned by the 1951 Festival of Britain to produce a mural for the South Bank, and chose Hoyle, a promising student, as his assistant. Hoyle moved to Great Bardfield in Essex and became part of the Great Bardfield group of artists: diverse in style, they created figurative work in stark contrast to the abstract art of the St Ives artists at the other end of the country. Hoyle taught at St Martin’s School of Art from 1951 - 1960, the Central School of Arts and Crafts from 1960 - 1964, and the Cambridge School of Art from 1964 - 1985, during which time he launched Cambridge Print Editions. His work is held in the collections of the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum, Kettle’s Yard, and the Fry Art Gallery. Condition: very good. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. -
Richard Beer (1928 - 2017)
Dieppe Cathedral
Oil on canvas 66 x 76 cm A mountaintop cathedral and surrounding houses; broad blue sky fills the rest of the canvas. This oil painting is a fantastic example of Beer's focus on architecture, the central and recurring theme of his pictorial idiom. Born in London in 1928, just too late to serve in the Second World War, Richard Beer studied between 1945 - 1950 at the Slade School. Subsequently, a French Government scholarship allowed him to spend time in Paris at Atelier 17, working under Stanley William Hayter (1901 - 1988), one of the most significant print makers of the 20th Century – having spent the War in New York, advising as a camofleur, Hayter only returned to Paris in 1950. Subsequently Beer studied at the École des Beaux Arts, Paris. Working for John Cranko, choreographer for the Royal Ballet, Beer designed the sets and costumes for his The Lady and the Fool at Covent Garden, subsequently working for him following his move in 1961 to Stuttgart Ballet. Additionally he produced book illustrations and designed book jackets. Beer later taught print-making at the Chelsea School of Art, where he was a popular teacher. Probably his greatest work was a collaboration with John Betjeman to produce a portfolio of prints of ten Wren Churches in the City for Editions Alecto, copies of which are in The Government Art Collection. That collection contains a total of 54 prints by Beer, and the Tate Gallery’s collection holds seven. His Oxford series was also produced for Editions Alecto as was a series of predominantly architectural views in Southern Europe. Most of his prints are of architectural subjects. Condition: excellent. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other views by Richard Beer. -
Craigie Aitchison (1926 - 2009)
Yellow Crucifixion
Screenprint 76 x 63 cm Published by Advanced Graphics Limited (2000). Craigie Aitchison’s iteration of the crucifixion sees Christ upon a Cross with no patibulum (horizontal beam). Jesus becomes part of the stipes (vertical beam), a willing participant in his own martyrdom. The star above his head is the Star of Bethlehem, and the sheep or goat at his feet the Lamb of God. These symbols of divinity, set against the backdrop an empty yellow-soaked landscape, transform this picture of the crucifixion into an image of resurrection. Condition: excellent. Magnificently framed. -
Walter Hoyle (1922 - 2000)
King's College, Cambridge (Cambridge Series 1956 - 66)
Linocut 61 x 80 cm Numbered 37/75 lower left, titled below, marked as artist's proof, and signed lower right, all in pencil. A blue- and grey-hued linocut of King's. A version of this print, owned by the Government Art Collection, hangs in the British Embassy in Tunis. Hoyle trained at Beckenham School of Art and the Royal College of Art. At the latter he was strongly influenced by Edward Bawden, one of Britain’s greatest linocut printers. Bawden had been commissioned by the 1951 Festival of Britain to produce a mural for the South Bank, and chose Hoyle to assist on account of his great talent. Hoyle moved to Great Bardfield in Essex, becoming a part of the Great Bardfield group of artists; diverse in style, they created figurative work, in stark contrast to the abstract art of the St Ives artists at the opposite end of the country. Hoyle taught at St Martin’s School of Art from 1951-60, the Central School of Arts and Crafts from 1960-64, and the Cambridge School of Art from 1964-1985, during which time he launched Cambridge Print Editions. His work is held in the collections of the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum, Kettle’s Garden and the Fry Art Gallery. Provenance: ex the Arthur Andersen collection. Condition: generally very good; some gentle and even age toning to paper. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other views of King's College, Cambridge. -
Eva Lucy Harwood (1893 - 1972)
Still Life with Flowers and Glass
Oil on canvas 49 x 40 cm ( 67 x 57 cm framed) A mid-century still life typical of Harwood's impasto style. Lucy Harwood was a British artist who studied art at the Slade just before the outbreak of the First World War. She had initially intended to be a professional pianist, but turned her attentions to visual art after becoming partially paralysed. She was one of the first students to enrol at Cedric Morris' East Anglian School of Drawing and Painting, where she focused on painting Post-Impressionist landscapes, painting just with her left hand. She moved to Upper Layham in Suffolk and is known for her landscapes of the area. Condition: generally very good. Handsome hand-finished frame. Provenance: Louise Kosman, Edinburgh. If you’d like to know more, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here to view our other still life pictures. -
Gordon House (1932 - 2004)
Triangle D
Lithograph 86 x 45 cm Signed and titled in pencil below the plate. An excellent example of Gordon House's work: a modern design in tones of green, pink, and blue. Gordon House was born in Pontardawe, South Wales in 1932 and studied at Luton and St. Albans Schools of Art. He began working for advertising agencies in the 1950s and became a full-time artist in 1961, exhibiting several solo shoes. He designed for several leading London galleries, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and popular bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Several dozen Gordon House prints are held by the Tate. Condition: very good; backed to board. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other abstract lithographs by Gordon House. -
Gordon House (1932 - 2004)
Circle E
Lithograph 86 x 45 cm Signed, numbered 48/75, and titled in pencil below the plate. An excellent example of Gordon House's work: a modern design, influenced by art deco, in blue and yellow. Gordon House was born in Pontardawe, South Wales in 1932 and studied at Luton and St. Albans Schools of Art. He began working for advertising agencies in the 1950s and became a full-time artist in 1961, exhibiting several solo shoes. He designed for several leading London galleries, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and popular bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Several dozen Gordon House prints are held by the Tate. Condition: very good; backed to board. If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. Click here for other abstract lithographs by Gordon House.