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NANO REID (1900-1981) – THROUGH THE DOOR (GEORGE CAMPBELL IN HIS STUDIO). UPDATE: THIS MADE 14,500 AT HAMMER

Through the Door (George Campbell in his Studio) by Nano Reid was one of twenty-four works exhibited by Ireland at the 25th Venice Biennale in 1950. It comes up as lot 35 at Whyte’s sale of Important Irish Art on March 3. In 1950 there were twenty-three participating nations and Ireland – represented by two female artists, Nano Reid and Norah McGuinness – was included among them for the first time that year. 

Both Reid and McGuinness were prominent figures in the Irish arts scene and had studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. They travelled to London and Paris and were advocates of a modernist style of painting. Their work had been showcased on the international stage before, at the Irish Exhibition of Living Artists (IELA) and the Exhibition of Contemporary Irish Painting organised by the Cultural Relations Committee of Ireland which toured the USA in 1950. At Venice they received largely positive feedback. Italian critic Umberto Apollonio praised Reid’s ‘audacious expressionism’ while James White (who wrote the catalogue entry for the artists at Venice) claimed the critics were ‘amazed to learn that Reid was a woman artist’ because of her strongly expressionist style. McGuinness’ work was described as having ‘vibrating and rather evocative tonality’ and Italian President Luigi Einaudi acquired her painting The Black Church. Among their competition in 1950 were artists – mostly men – known today by their surnames alone, Braque, de Kooning, Dalí, Kandinsky, Klee, Picasso, Rivera, Pollock. The grand prize for painting was won by Henri Matisse, and men took all the other awards.

Through the Door (George Campbell in his Studio) depicts Reid’s friend and fellow artist standing purposefully in front of his easel. The door is used as a device to bring the viewer into the composition which is framed by a bold use of line and colour employed to dramatic effect to cut through the dark palette. The painting is estimated at €10,000-€15,000.