Leading Roseberys' November Modern British & 20th Century Art sale are Works from The Collection of Mollie and Graham Dark (lots 1-26). Mollie (1928-2024) and Graham Dark (1930-2007) were pivotal figures in Cornwall, becoming close friends with a number of the most important artists associated with post-war St. Ives and collecting and carefully curating a wonderful body of their artworks. Roseberys are honoured to be selling works from this collection, featuring many of their key artists including Peter Lanyon, Paul Feiler and their close friend Terry Frost. This follows the sales at Sotheby’s featuring a ‘A Life with Art: The Collection of Mollie and Graham Dark’ in the Modern British Evening sale on 14th November and Day sale on 15th November 2024, which includes pieces by these artists as well as a major work by Ivon Hitchens.
Part I highlights, include a wonderful Welsh landscape by David Bomberg, ‘Farm Field, Red Wharf bay, 1944’ (lot 28) made towards the end of the Second World War. The owner of the work was a close friend and client of Agi Katz, founder and director of Boundary Gallery, who Estate Rosebery’s were fortunate enough to have sold in 2022. Roseberys will also be selling L. S. Lowry’s ‘The Church at Northleach, c.1940s’ (lot 246), which relates to the painting 'Northleach Church, 1947' that was sold at Christie's, London, on the 23rd November 1993 and exhibited at the Lefevre Gallery exhibition 'Paintings and Drawings by L.S. Lowry, R.A.' in 1976.
A special ink portrait by Mervyn Peake of Ithell Colquhoun (lot 170) will also be offered. Tantalisingly, very little is known about how they met or any working relationship that existed between them, but this is the second know portrait drawing by Peake of Colquhoun. The work is an amazing document of two of 20th century British art’s greatest enigmas.
Lot 170 - Mervyn Peake, British 1911-1968 - Portrait of Ithell Colquhoun, 1939 - £1,200 - 1,800
From the Post-War era there are major works by Italian masters, Mimmo Rotello’s ‘Décollage, 1958’ (lot 274) and Lucio Fontana’s ‘Concetto Spaziale 476, 1966’ (lot 275). ‘Concetto Spaziale 476, 1966’ is an iconic example of Fontana’s work, with his signature punctures of the pictorial surface which playfully evoke a sense of the celestial void. Rotello’s work is a brilliant early example of his ‘décollages’, constructed from ripped film posters, to blur the boundaries between high and low art.
Part II features an amazing range of contemporary pieces, including a collage work by Keith Haring (lot 295), iconic book covers by Harland Miller (lots 470-471) and a sensational neon work ‘New Religion (Red)’ by YBA Sarah Lucas (lot 538).
Running alongside will be a separate auction of works from the Collection of Mary and Alan Hobart, founders of Pyms Gallery on Tuesday 26th November, featuring works by Leonard Baskin, Sidney Nolan and Sir William Orpen. Pyms Gallery was founded in 1975 by Alan and Mary Hobart and was highly influential in driving a reappraisal of early Modern Irish artists in London, in particular Sir William Orpen, Jack B. Yeats and Mary Swanzy. Their private collection was the focus of a major exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, ‘Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection’, in 2023.
Highlight lots:
Lots 1-26 - The Collection of Mollie and Graham Dark
Mollie (1928-2024) and Graham Dark (1930-2015) were pivotal figures in Cornwall, becoming close friends with a number of the most important artists associated with post-war St. Ives and collecting and carefully curating a wonderful body of their artworks. The collection includes works by Peter Lanyon and their friends Paul Feiler and Terry Frost.
Lot 28 - David Bomberg, ‘Farm Field, Red Wharf bay, 1944’ - £25,000-30,000
Made towards the end of the Second World War. The owner of the work was a close friend and client of Agi Katz, founder and director of Boundary Gallery, who Estate Roseberys were fortunate enough to have sold in 2022.
Lot 246 – Laurence Stephen Lowry RA, British 1887-1976 – ‘The Church at Northleach’, c.1940s;
This work relates to the painting 'Northleach Church, 1947' that was sold at Christie's, London, on the 23rd November 1993 and exhibited at the Lefevre Gallery exhibition 'Paintings and Drawings by L.S. Lowry, R.A.' in 1976. In the present drawing, Lowry has distilled the architectural forms of the church and graveyard in a series of bold, confident lines, to create an economic but striking depiction of this view.
Lot 274 - Mimmo Rotella, Italian 1918-2006 – ‘Décollage, 1958’; £200,000-250,000
This is a brilliant early example of Rotello’s signature ‘ décollages’, constructed from ripped film posters, to blur the boundaries between high and low art and forming his personal protest against pop culture. This approach led Rotella to align himself with the Nouveau Réalisme movement founded by contemporaries Pierre Restany and Yves Klein in 1960.
Lot 275 - Lucio Fontana, Italian – ‘Concetto Spaziale 476, 1966’; £25,000-30,000
‘Concetto Spaziale 476, 1966’ is an iconic example of Fontana’s work, with his signature punctures of the pictorial surface which playfully evoke a sense of the celestial void.
Lot 295 - Keith Haring, American 1958-1990 - Untitled, 1981; £20,000-30,000
This work is a classic example of Haring's visual language. Drawing on plastic wrap over an existing drawing is demonstrative of his playful and experimental nature, akin to the subway drawings he began creating prolifically during this time.
A published author, Miller's play on Penguin book covers has become as iconic and recognisable has the books themselves. Both works were exhibited at the artist’s first exhibition in Germany in 2016.
This work is part of a series of unique works, one was acquired by George Michael in 2004.
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