Northern Art Shines in a Weekend of 20th Century Art & Design

Tennants Auctioneers’ focussed on the 20^th Century on the 20^th October, with a new combination of auctions: Modern & Contemporary Art and Modern Living: Art & Design. With such a wide variety of fine art, decorative arts and furniture on offer, and examples from leading artists and makers, bidders flocked to the North Yorkshire salerooms to take part.

Tennants’ Picture Department has a strong reputation for selling Northern Art, which was only reinforced with this sale. The top lot of the day was a Fine Art Trade Guild print of L.S. Lowry’s most famous work – ‘Going to the Match’, which was sold for £17,500 (plus buyer’s premium), and Lowry’s ‘Thoughtful Man’, a pencil drawing from 1966 executed on Seaburn Hotel writing paper, sold for £16,500 (plus b.p.); the market for works by Lowry remains strong. Other highlights of Northern Art to note were Brian ‘Braaq’ Shields’ ‘Figures in a Frozen Landscape Before and Industrial Town’ selling for £12,000 (plus b.p.), Peter Brook’s ‘Help About’ selling for £5,800 (plus b.p.) and two paintings by Leeds-born artist Joash Woodrow, who only has a limited auction record, selling for £5,200 (plus b.p.) and £4,200 (plus b.p).

One of the most interesting lots in the sale was a fax by David Hockney entitled ‘Stanley and Boodgie Sitting by the Sea’ from 1993 which sold for £5,500 (plus b.p.).  Composed of 24 pieces of A4 fax paper, Hockney faxed the picture to a class at a Harrogate School, who had sent him a message in Los Angeles wishing him a Happy Birthday. Elsewhere, strong prices were seen for sporting bronzes by York sculptor Sally Arnup and North East sculptor Ian Greensitt. Good lots of Northern Art are already consigned for the first Modern & Contemporary Art Sale early 2019.

In the Modern Living sale, two stand-out examples of master potter Lucie Rie’s work stood out. The top lot was a footed bowl with a flaring ring with sold for £6,000 (plus b.p.) against an estimate of £2,000-3,000 and a beaker vase sold for £1,800 (plus b.p.). Elsewhere in the sale a Martin Brothers Stoneware Face Jug, by Robert Wallace Martin sold for £2,300 (plus b.p.), and once again Tennants proved the popularity of Yorkshire oak furniture by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson with a dressing table with mirror selling for £4,200 (plus b.p.), and a carved oak pheasant selling for £4,000 (plus b.p.).

Tennants are currently accepting lots for the next sales of Modern & Contemporary Art, and Modern Living: Art & Design in early 2019. Please contact them on 01969 623780 or enquiry@tennants-ltd.co.uk for details.

View full sale results here.