Auction Alert: Sale of 20th Century Art to be held at Prior Park, Bath

WILLIAM SCOTT C.B.E., R.A. (1913-1989) 'STILL LIFE WITH FRYING PAN AND EGGS'

Wotton Auction Rooms will be running a Sale of 20th Century Art at the National Trust property, Prior Park, Bath.

272 lots will be coming under the hammer on Friday 22nd July 2022, from 12pm. Artists represented include some of our old favourites such as Paul Peter Piech and David Gentleman – the latter well known for his postage stamp designs. In addition, we’ve been introduced to a few new artists that we’d like to find out more about; William Scott CBE, Anita Klein and Bernard Cheese amongst others.

If you register on the Wotton Auction Rooms website, you can leave auto and absentee bids. There’s a buyer’s premium of 21.6% and, if bidding via their website, an additional premium of 3.6% (plus VAT) will be levied.

Alternatively, you can bid live via the EasyLiveAuction website for a £3.00 flat fee or 3% of the final hammer price. The buyer’s premium still stands.

Unfortunately, the auction house doesn’t offer a packaging and posting service, so you’ll have to organise your own if you’re unable to collect in person.

WILLIAM SCOTT C.B.E., R.A. (1913-1989) 'STILL LIFE WITH FRYING PAN AND EGGS'

Lot 24: WILLIAM SCOTT C.B.E., R.A. (1913-1989) ‘STILL LIFE WITH FRYING PAN AND EGGS’
Screenprint in colours on wove paper, signed, dated and numbered in pencil, printed by Kelpra Studio, published by CCA Galleries, London, with their blindstamp. 91/250. 67cm x 88cm.
Estimate: £3,000 – £5,000

EDWARD BAWDEN C.B.E., R.A. (1903-1989) 'BOROUGH MARKET'

Lot 33: EDWARD BAWDEN C.B.E., R.A. (1903-1989) ‘BOROUGH MARKET’
Lithograph in colour, artist’s proof, signed, titled and numbered in pencil, A/P. 2. 50.5cm x 65cm.
Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500

ROBERT TAVENER (1920-2004) 'PIERHEAD' (NO.3)

Lot 46: ROBERT TAVENER (1920-2004) ‘PIERHEAD’ (NO.3)
Linocut in colours. signed, titled, numbered and dated 1966, in pencil to margin. 16/30. 67.5 x 54cm.
Estimate: £200 – £300

BRIDGET RILEY CH, CBE (b.1931) POSTER POEM 'DESCENDING' 1968

Lot 60: BRIDGET RILEY CH, CBE (b.1931) POSTER POEM ‘DESCENDING’ 1968
Screenprint, from the edition of an unknown size, unsigned, probably published by Editions Alecto. 64cm x 65.5cm.
Estimate: £500 – £800

ANITA KLEIN (b.1960) 'NIGE & THE NECKLACE'

Lot 76: ANITA KLEIN (b.1960) ‘NIGE & THE NECKLACE’
Etching, signed, numbered and dated 2002 in pencil to margin. 21/100. 12cm x 14cm.
Estimate: £100 – £200

BEN NICHOLSON O.M. (1894-1982) 'SMALL STILL LIFE' 1966

Lot 87: BEN NICHOLSON O.M. (1894-1982) ‘SMALL STILL LIFE’ 1966
Etching, signed, numbered and dated in pencil – annotations to verso “Small Still Life, 1966 Ben Nicholson”. 10/25. Lafrance blindstamp. 32cm x 31cm.
Estimate: £800 – £1,200

JOHN PIPER C.H. (1903-1992) 'NORTH GRIMSTONE' YORKSHIRE

Lot 114: JOHN PIPER C.H. (1903-1992) ‘NORTH GRIMSTONE’ YORKSHIRE
(Levinson 128) lithographs in colour, signed and numbered in pencil to margin. 61/70. 82cm x 59cm.
Estimate: £300 – £500

DAME ELIZABETH BLACKADDER O.B.E., R.S.A., R.S.W., R.G.I., D.LITT (1931-2021) 'STAITHES'

Lot 128: DAME ELIZABETH BLACKADDER O.B.E., R.S.A., R.S.W., R.G.I., D.LITT (1931-2021) ‘STAITHES’
Lithograph in colour, signed, titled and dated 1963 in pencil to margin. Inscribed “407” in pencil, Curwen Chilford Studios blindstamp. 57cm x 80cm.
Estimate: £300 – £500

SIR PETER BLAKE C.B.E., R.D.I., R.A. (b.1932) 'I LOVE VINTAGE'

Lot 162: SIR PETER BLAKE C.B.E., R.D.I., R.A. (b.1932) ‘I LOVE VINTAGE’
Digital tin plate print, unnumbered limited edition of 2,500. Published by Creatively Recycled Empire and printed by Impress Group, with certificate and papers. 22cm x 17cm.
Estimate: £150 – £250

PAUL PETER PIECH (1920-1996) 'JAZZ'

Lot 169: PAUL PETER PIECH (1920-1996) ‘JAZZ’
‘Evolved in part from spirituals, sung by slaves, jazz is the only true American music form, It was created by blacks for blacks’. Linocut in colours, signed, numbered and dated 1995 in pencil. 1/25. 64cm x 45cm.
Estimate: £200 – £300

BERNARD CHEESE (1925-2013) 'RING OF TREES'

Lot 174: BERNARD CHEESE (1925-2013) ‘RING OF TREES’
Lithograph in colours, artist’s proof III, signed, titled and dated 1965 in pencil. 79cm x 59cm.
Estimate: £200 – £300

BARBARA VINCENT (20TH CENTURY CONTEMPORARY) 'FRIESON COWS'

Lot 202: BARBARA VINCENT (20TH CENTURY CONTEMPORARY) ‘FRIESON COWS’
Linocut in colours, signed, titled and numbered in pencil. 6/9. 32.5cm x 38.5cm.
Estimate: £100 – £200

DAVID GENTLEMAN (b.1930) 'CURLEW STREET, LONDON'

Lot 218: DAVID GENTLEMAN (b.1930) ‘CURLEW STREET, LONDON’
Lithograph in colours, signed and numbered in pencil. 112/195. Blindstamp lower right. 61cm x 51cm.
Estimate: £100 – £200

ERIC RAVILIOUS (1903-1942) 'GARDEN MEMORIES'

Lot 234: ERIC RAVILIOUS (1903-1942) ‘GARDEN MEMORIES’
Wood engraving, signed with initials ‘AU’ for Anne Ullman (the artist’s daughter) and numbered in pencil. 100/200. An illustration for Thomas Hennell’s ‘Poems’ 1936.
Estimate: £150 – £250

Designer Desire: William Scott

Montage of artworks by William Scott | H is for Home

Since relocating to rural Wales, we feel as though many of the paintings we have by Northern Industrial artists just don’t suit the interior or new locale. I was doing some research online for artists whose work I felt would be more in keeping, when I discovered William Scott (1913-1989).

I love Scott’s style, composition (the repeated use of still life objects such as pears, fish and pots & pans) and palette. His pared back approach really works in simple, rustic, minimalist surroundings.

Scott was born in Greenock, Scotland and moved with his family, at the age of 11, to his father’s home-town of Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. He attended Belfast College of Art where he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools.

This is what he says of his work:

I am an abstract artist in the sense that I abstract. I cannot be called non-figurative while I am still interested in the modern magic of space, primitive sex forms, the sensual and the erotic, disconcerting contours, the things of life.

Some of his later pieces really remind me of the work of Mark Rothko (see the two portrait shaped ones above). Coincidentally, here’s William Scott with the latter (Rothko stayed with the Scott family in England in 1959) in a short film produced by the Tate to accompany their Scott centenary exhibition in 2013.

As well as the Tate, his work is in the collections of the Ulster Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, National Galleries of Scotland, The British Council Collection and Kettle’s Yard.

I’m not surprised that Kettle’s Yard has examples of his work; it’s very reminiscent (to me, anyway) of that of Ben Nicholson – another artist in the Kettle’s Yard collection.

His work often comes up for sale; from original oils for hundreds of thousands of pounds to limited-edition prints available for the tens of thousands. We may have to settle for a collection of postcards from a museum shop!

Image credits:

Artnet | ArtUK | Bonhams