ARTS CLUB APPEAL AT BONHAMS KNIGHTSBRIDGE Highlights from the London Club of Dickens, Swinburne, Millais, Whistler, Kipling, Monet, Rodin, Degas, Turgenev, Lutyens and Sir Alfred Munnings go under the hammer at Bonhams’ Arts Club Sale
An impressive array of high-profile works from theiconic Dover Street Arts Club went under the hammer at Bonhams Arts Club Sale this afternoon at Bonhams Knightsbridge. With 86% lots sold by value, the sale raised a total of £204,317 and included a selection of important portraits, landscapes and sculptures.
With The Arts Club in Dover Street, Mayfair, undergoing a major refurbishment, its managing committee has decided to sell some of the Club’s distinguished collection of paintings to make way for new work.
One of the highlights of the sale was a large and dramatic portrait by Solomon J. Solomon (1860-1927) depicting the actress Mrs Patrick Campbell in the role of Paula Tanqueray. This magnificent work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1894 and sold for a remarkable £33,600 (estimated £20,000-30,000).
Elsewhere, Private View Day at The Royal Academy by Arthur Trevithan Nowell (1862-1940) sold for an equally impressive £21,600. This magnificent painting depicts figures from the London high-society including the Duchess of Hamilton, the Dowager Countess of Airlie, the playwright Arthur Wimperis, the wife of the Dean of St Paul’s, Mrs Inge, Lord Hanworth and the Lord Mayor of London.
Bids sailed past the pre-sale estimate of £3,000-5,000 for Julius Olssen’s (1864-1942) Yacht race. This beautiful summer seascape sold for a formidable £18,000.
Alongside this, a nude study by Graham Arnold entitled Chapel Lawn Venus sold for £5,760 (estimated £3,000-5,000), whilst Arnold’s Days passed sold for almost eight times its pre-sale estimate, reaching an outstanding £7,800 (estimated £1,000-1,500).
Meanwhile, a charming pencil sketch of An English beauty in the manner of John Leech by Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896) sold for a superb £5,040 (estimated £1,000 - 1,500) whilst A Portrait of Charles Francis Annesley Voysey by William Lee Hankey (1869-1952) surpassed its lower estimate of £3,000, selling for £3,840.
One of a number of captivating landscapes going under the hammer, Adrian Scott Stokes’ (1854-1935) Coast of Connemara sold for £5,760 (estimated £3,000-5,000) whilst a verdant Look towards the sea – Morwenstowe by Graham Ovenden (born 1943) sold for a substantial £3,120 (estimate £3,000-5,000).
The Arts Club was founded in 1863, by a small group of aesthetes including Lord Frederic Leighton PRA and Charles Dickens, as a meeting place for men and women involved with the arts. During the 19th and 20th Centuries the club has been the hub of artistic endeavour and was the powerhouse behind the dealings of the Royal Academy. Its members have included Algernon Swinburne, Millais, Whistler, Kipling, Monet, Rodin, Degas, Turgenev, Lutyens and Sir Alfred Munnings. Current membership includes a number of Royal Academicians, architects and writers. The Club’s Royal Patron is HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir Peter Blake is the Club’s President and some of its most well-known members include Kim Cattrall, Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Roger Daltrey, Camilla Dallerup and Henry Blofeld.
Commenting on the success of the sale, Emma Corke, Bonhams specialist of Modern Pictures says: “We are delighted with the result of the sale. There was a great atmosphere in the room and it was wonderful to see the sale supported by both private and trade clients.”
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