John Swarbrooke Fine Art is delighted to return to the London Art Fair 2025 on Stand G21.
This curated exhibition will feature painting, drawing and ceramics by pioneering 20th-century artists in conversation with a selection of contemporary artworks.
To enquire about an artwork please email art@johnswarbrooke.com.
Denton WELCH (1915-1948)
Self Portrait, 1934-36
with papermaker’s watermark upper right Dixon's David Cox Drawing
coloured chalk on ‘Cox’ paper
34.2 x 27.5 cm. (13½ x 10⅞ in.)
£45,000
This self-portrait dates to Denton Welch’s time at Goldsmiths College of Art. It was during this time that the artist suffered a life-changing bicycle accident, causing lasting spinal injury and ultimately leading to his death at the age of 33 in 1948. Unable to return to his studies after the incident, Denton settled in the Kent countryside with his devoted housekeeper, Evelyn (Evie) Sinclair, the first owner of this drawing.
Sir Matthew SMITH CBE (1879-1959)
Peonies and Pears, c. 1934
signed with initials lower right MS
oil on canvas
44.5 x 63.5 cm. (17½ x 25 in.)
POA
This painting was included in the British Pavillion of the XXI Venice Biennale in 1936. By the 1930s Matthew Smith had established himself as one of the foremost British painters of his day. He favoured painting alla prima, a wet-on-wet technique that allowed him to produce vibrant, fluid paintings such as in Peonies and Pears.
Duncan GRANT (1885-1978)
The Pond at Charleston, 1956
signed and dated lower right d. Grant:/56
oil on board
55.7 x 76.2 cm. (22 x 30 in.)
POA
L.S. LOWRY RBA RA (1887-1976)
Queen's Dock, Glasgow, 1946
signed and dated lower left L. S. Lowry 1946
pencil on paper
29.5 x 36 cm. (11⅝ x 14⅛ in.)
£68,000 + ARR
Lowry visited Glasgow in 1946 and 1947 and was drawn to the heavy industry of the docks, just as Salford and the River Irwell had provided such a rich source of inspiration throughout his long career.
Gilbert SPENCER RA (1892-1979)
A Sudden Return Home, 1946
signed and dated lower left G Spencer 1946
oil over pencil on canvas
46 x 35.5 cm. (18 x 14 in.)
£6,500 + ARR
Christopher WOOD (1901-1930)
Winter Landscape, 1928
pencil on paper
25 x 34 cm. (10 ⅛ x 13½ in.)
Not Available
Ben NICHOLSON OM (1894-1982)
Sketch for Walton Wood Cottage, Cumberland, 1928
inscribed and dated verso Cumberland 1928
pencil on paper
33 x 42 cm. (13 x 16½ in.)
£16,500 + ARR
These drawings date to 1928, when Ben and Winifred Nicholson were joined in Cumbria by Christopher Wood. A comparison of the drawings shows the creative partnership between these artists in this period.
Jennifer LEE OBE (b. 1956)
Speckled, haloed trace, 2001
painted with maker’s mark
the present work is recorded as JL592 in the Artist’s Archive
stoneware with oxides
height: 21.5 cm. (8½ in.); diameter: 13 cm. (5⅛ in.)
Jennifer Lee’s pots are hand-built and are distinguished by her unique method of colouring them by mixing metallic oxides into the clay before making. Her work is represented in major public collections worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
£32,000 + ARR
William GEAR RA RBSA (1915-1997)
Personnage, 1947
signed and dated lower right Gear ‘47
oil on paper laid down on card
47.4 x 28.5 cm. (18⅝ x 11¼ in.)
£10,500 + ARR + 5% import VAT
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Four Hat Pins, c. 1938-45
Stoneware and Wire
£10,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Pair of ‘Bone’ Buttons, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£1,500 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Pair of ‘Woven’ Brooches, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£6,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Set of Three Buttons, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£1,500 + ARR
Roger HILTON CBE (1911-1975)
Untitled, 1974
initialled and dated lower left RH 74
gouache and charcoal on paper laid onto card
23 x 49.5 cm. (9⅛ x 19½ in.)
£12,500 + ARR
Sir Michael CRAIG-MARTIN CBE RA (b. 1941)
Untitled (Fire Extinguisher), 1997
acrylic on canvas
41 x 18 cm. (16⅛ x 7⅛ in.)
£22,000 + ARR
Bridget RILEY CH CBE (b. 1931)
Study for Painting - Four Colours, Black and White. Visual Grey with Yellow/Green Sensation, 1981
signed and dated lower right Bridget Riley ’81; titled lower left
gouache on paper
95.2 x 60.3 cm. (37½ x 23¾ in.)
POA
In the 1980s Riley’s style evolved to incorporate more varied colour palettes. Works on paper, such as the present unique painting, became a crucial medium for Riley during this period, allowing her to experiment with different materials and techniques. The exploration of gouache on paper allowed for greater spontaneity and fluidity in her artistic process.
Bridget RILEY CH CBE (b. 1931)
Revision of Study, 23 June 1986
signed and dated lower right Bridget Riley ’86; titled and dated lower left Revision of Study 23/6/86
gouache on paper
66.5 x 64 cm. (26⅛ x 25⅛ in.)
POA
The present unique work on paper is an important example of Riley’s ‘Rhomboid’ paintings, a series of works that feature rhomboids, or rhombus-shaped figures, that she introduced in the mid-1980s. As Riley said ‘The colours are organised ... so that the eye can travel over the surface in a way parallel to the way it moves over nature.’
Mary MARTIN (1907-1969)
Permutation on White and Black, c. 1966
steel, painted wood, on perspex and wood; a diamond
48 x 48 x 10 cm. (19 x 19 x 4 in.)
£85,000 + ARR + 5% Import VAT
Martin selected the materials used to create works like Permutation on White and Black for their intrinsic properties, often combining the transparency of plexiglass (coloured as well as clear) with the reflective surfaces of metal elements and matt surfaces of painted wood. According to Martin artists should ‘have an understanding of, and a capacity to enter into, architecture, without destroying it, or dominating it, or distracting from it’
John VIRTUE (b. 1947)
Landscape No. 256, 1992-93
ink, gouache and acrylic on canvas
16 x 21.5 cm. (6¼ x 8½ in.)
£4,250 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Set of Four ‘Floral’ Buttons, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£3,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Set of Three Buttons, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£1,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Three Buckles, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£8,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Two Rare Bracelets, c. 1938-45
Stoneware
£6,000 + ARR
Craigie AITCHISON CBE RSA RA (1926-2009)
Crucifixion, 1997
oil on canvas
49 x 59.5 cm. (19¼ x 23⅜ in.
£60,000 + ARR
The crucifixion motif first appeared in Craigie's work as far back as the late 1950s, inspired by his visits to altarpieces in Italian churches, and it became his most recognised and frequent subject in the following decades.
Tristram HILLIER RA (1905-1983)
Trouvaille, 1962
signed lower right Hillier and titled and dated on the verso TROUVAILLE 1962
oil on panel
18 x 25.5 cm. (7 x 10 in.)
£22,500 + ARR
Gwen JOHN (1876-1939)
Two Girls Seated in Church
stamped lower right with estate stamp charcoal on paper
16.5 x 12.5 cm. (6½ x 4⅞ in.)
£4,500 + ARR
John MINTON (1917-1957)
The Lane
signed upper right
sepia ink and watercolour on paper
35 x 26 cm. (13¾ x 10¼ in.)
£5,500 + ARR
Henri GAUDIER-BRZESKA (1891-1915)
Windmill, 1912
pencil on paper
18.5 x 18.5 cm. (7¼ x 7¼ in.)
£2,250
Formerly in the collection of Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska & Jim Ede.
Robert BEVAN (1865-1925)
Horse Dealers
signed with initials lower right RPB
watercolour and pencil on paper
23.6 x 32.7 cm. (9¼ x 12⅞ in.)
£60,000
Robert Bevan was a founding member of the Camden Town Group and a member of Sickert’s circle. His work was much influenced by Gauguin's bold colour and flat patterning, and in his last years his style became increasingly simplified and schematic. He is best known for paintings featuring horses.
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Six Buttons, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£5,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
Three Buckles, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£12,000 + ARR
Dame Lucie RIE DBE (1902-1995)
An Assorted Collection of Six Buttons and Two Buckles, c. 1944-45
Stoneware
£5,000 + ARR