London to St. Ives, a journey through British Art is the title of the sale of an important private collection at Sotheby’s on June 29. The evening sale comprises 49 works and features British artists such as Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud, Graham Sutherland, Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon and Anthony Caro.
During the middle of the 20th century, London – bomb-ravaged and starving but still the capital city of a global empire – had a serious competitor as the artistic capital in a small fishing village at the westernmost tip of the country. In both London and Cornwall, artists wrestled with the question posed by German philosopher Adorno – how could one write poetry after the horrors of Auschwitz? For London-based artists such as Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud and Reg Butler this resulted in an intense and forensic re-examination of the human figure and human relationships. In St Ives artists such as Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon and Terry Frost turned to abstraction. This is an auction of work by the British artists at the forefront of the avant-garde. It is estimated to bring in between £3-5 million.
Peter Lanyon – Fly Away 1961 (£300,000-500,000)
Patrick Heron – Tall Brown June 1959 (£400,000-600,000)
Frank Auerbach – Jake Seated (£300,000-500,000)