
John Constable, R.A. (1776-1837)
View on the River Stour near Dedham, full-scale sketch c1821-22. Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd., 2016.
A work of genius by John Constable, R.A. (1776-1837), the ‘sketch’ for View on the Stour near Dedham, c1821-22, will be offered alongside masterpieces by Reynolds, Leighton, Lowry, Spencer, Bacon and Freud at Christie’s in London on June 30. The Defining British Art sale marks Christie’s 250th anniversary. The Constable is estimated in the region of £12-16 million. It is the last great six-footer sketch in private hands.
Jussi Pylkkänen, Global President of Christie’s International: “Not since Constable’s Lock have we had the opportunity to work with a painting of this calibre by one of the titans of British painting. To stand in front of this expansive work, is to understand why the great British modern painters and even the French Impressionists revered Constable as their spiritual mentor. Constable famously said that “Painting is but another word for feeling” and later that “I do not consider myself at work unless I am before a six-foot canvas”. Visitors to Christie’s in June will be able to see a rarely exhibited masterpiece by Constable which perfectly describes his passion for paint and his ability to paint dramatic landscapes on the grand scale. It is fitting that Christie’s should be given the opportunity to sell this masterpiece in our Defining British Art sale which marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great institution.”
UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £14,082,500