Author: Rupert

Works by the Important Aboriginal Artist Albert Namatjira sold at Toovey’s

Albert Namatjira – Australian Landscape with Ghost Gum Tree and Mountains (detail), early/mid-20th century watercolour, signed, © The artist’s estate/ Toovey’s. Sold for £26,000

Three works by the important Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira (1902-1959) have just sold for a total of £61,000 in Toovey’s specialist fine art auction.

Albert Namatjira was a pioneering Aboriginal Australian artist known for his distinctive watercolour landscapes that captured the beauty of the Australian outback. Born Elea Namatjira and raised in the Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission in the Northern Territory, he was educated in both Aboriginal and Western traditions. Namatjira discovered his talent for painting in his mid-30s after meeting the artist Rex Battarbee, who was touring Central Australia. Battarbee taught him the techniques of watercolour painting, and Namatjira quickly developed a unique style that combined Western techniques with his deep spiritual connection to the land. His works vividly portrayed the rugged and vibrant landscapes of Central Australia, especially the MacDonnell Ranges, using soft hues and detailed brushwork. His art gained widespread acclaim and by the 1940s Namatjira had become one of Australia’s most celebrated artists. He was the first Australian Aboriginal to achieve commercial success in the Western art world, holding numerous exhibitions across Australia. His fame also brought attention to the cultural and political issues faced by Aboriginal people at the time. Despite his success, Namatjira’s life was marked by the complexities of navigating two cultures. Although he was granted limited citizenship rights in 1957, he still faced significant legal and social discrimination. Namatjira’s legacy endures as a trailblazer in Australian art. His work not only opened doors for future Aboriginal artists but also helped to change perceptions of Aboriginal culture in Australia.

Albert Namatjira – Valley Landscape with Gum Trees, early/mid-20th century gouache on panel, signed recto, gallery label verso, © The artist’s estate/ Toovey’s. Sold for £19,000

The three paintings were consigned by a private collector based in Sussex. These works were inherited from his late father, Sir John Galvin, a self-made Australian multi-millionaire. Sir John, who amassed his wealth through ventures in media and mining, was born in Tasmania in 1908. He is recognized as one of the few Westerners to have interviewed Mao Zedong for an English-language newspaper he founded in Shanghai. A passionate patron of the arts, Sir John directly acquired two of these paintings from the artist and purchased the third from Artlovers’ Gallery in Artarmon, Sydney, New South Wales.

This important Aboriginal artist speaks of Australia’s history and Albert Namatjira’s work continues to be celebrated by collectors around the world.

Albert Namatjira – Australian Landscape with Trees and Mountains, early/mid-20th century watercolour, signed, © The artist’s estate/ Toovey’s. Sold for £16,000

Agricultural Society Celebrates Young People in the Farming Industry

Young herdswoman, Leah, showing the prize winning Ayrshire from Brinsbury College with Brinsbury student, Maddy, to her left

For many years now the West Grinstead & District Ploughing Match & Agricultural Society has been celebrating young people in farming and encouraging them to join the agricultural industry through their bursaries and awards.

The warmth of the welcome overcame the early wet start of this year’s show. The afternoon brought bright sunshine drawing the crowds in the afternoon. As I arrived I was greeted by Rowan Allan.

Rowan is the longstanding joint secretary of the Society and a partner in H. J. Burt based in Steyning and Henfield. As a Chartered Surveyor and a Fellow of the CAAV he has strong professional and personal links with the rural and agricultural community in Sussex. I ask Rowan how long H. J. Burt has been associated with the Society and show, he replies “The Society was founded in 1871 and as a firm we’ve been involved since 1887”. He explains that the show seeks to honour and learn from the past whilst looking confidently to the future.

Society Secretary, Rowan Allan, at the 2024 West Grinstead & District Plough Match and Agricultural Show

I join Leah in the ring. She has been showing the prize winning Ayrshire from Brinsbury College where she was a student. I ask Leah about the cow, she replies “She’s an Ayrshire, a year and a bit old…we’ll start serving her in November time and, yeah, she’s just a lovely cow.” The cattle have been judged by Tim Gue, a respected dairy and arable farmer at Huddlestone Farm, Steyning. His wife, Marion, provides enthusiastic and expert commentary throughout the day. Leah tells me how she now works on a farm near Barlavington running a dairy herd of 300. Our conversation turns to the Society’s bursaries and how she has personally benefitted from them. I ask Rowan about the Society’s bursaries, he says “The Society launched the Bursary Scheme more than ten years ago to assist those keen to pursue a career in agriculture. Potential candidates need to be working in the Society’s area.”

It was a blessing to see the local farming community brought together and so many enthusiastic young people. They were joined by families from the Horsham District which made for a joyous day. Thanks must go to David Exwood, his family and team, for their hospitality and for hosting this year’s show at Westons Farm. To find out more about the Society and its work visit www.westgrinsteadploughing.co.uk.

Irish Artist Gerard Dillon’s Seminal Work High Cross Panel

Gerard Dillon – ‘High Cross Panel’, mixed media with oil, gouache and pastel on fifteen sheets of paper laid on board, circa 1949, 112.5cm x 159cm © The Artist’s Estate/Toovey’s

Gerard Dillon (1916-1971) started to paint in 1936. He worked predominately in Belfast, where he was born, as well as Dublin and Connemara. The work, titled ‘High Cross Panel’, is a large mixed media painting with oil, gouache and pastel comprised of fifteen sheets of paper laid on board. It dates from around 1949. The ‘High Cross Panel’ is inspired by Celtic relief sculptures that Dillon had sketched during his visits to Monasterboice and Mellifont Abbey with his friend and fellow artist Nano Reid. The picture’s series of vignettes depict scenes from the life of Christ and the Old Testament. Dillon grew up in the Roman Catholic Church but became disenchanted with it. Here Dillon incorporates Celtic Christian iconography as he seeks to position his work within the broader context of Ireland’s artistic and religious heritage.

This large seminal work was sold in Toovey’s recent specialist fine art auction for £27,000.

Gerard Dillon – ‘High Cross Panel’ (detail) © The Artist’s Estate/Toovey’s

The painting was first owned by P.J. Carroll & Co. Ltd who provided vital support for many leading Irish artists at a time when general interest in the visual arts was limited. The P.J. Carroll art collection was widely regarded as one of the pre-eminent collections of 20th century Irish art and was originally hung in their factory in Dublin Road, Dundalk, Co. Louth. A large portion of the P.J. Carroll collection is now to be found in the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin. High Cross Panel was lent by the Carroll collection to the Gerard Dillon Retrospective exhibition held at the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art (now the Hugh Lane Gallery) in 1973.

The piece was purchased from the P.J. Carroll collection after 1973 by Sir John Galvin, a self-made Australian multi-millionaire. Sir John, who amassed his wealth through ventures in media and mining, was born in Tasmania in 1908. A passionate patron of the arts, Sir John Galvin amassed an art collection that included significant works from his native Australia. He relocated to Ireland in 1959 and added numerous Irish works to the collection. Galvin was a generous a philanthropist in Ireland helping financially to construct St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin. He also contributed to the arts and was a Trustee at the National Library of Ireland. The High Cross Panel remains one of Dillon’s most seminal works.

Handmade Moorcroft Pottery Appeals to the Luxury Market

A pair of Eventide pattern Moorcroft Pottery vases with plated mounts, circa 1925

William Moorcroft and the pottery works he founded, which bears the Moorcroft name, has produced some of the country’s most collectable ceramics for more than a century.

The designs often reflect a love of nature in stylized designs which capture flowers, landscapes, birds and animals. William Moorcroft’s first designs were produced for James Macintyre & Co from 1897. His art pottery often employed tube-lined decoration and the subtle use of hand painted glazes. It quickly caught the eye of prestigious stores like Liberty, Harrods and Tiffany & Co in New York. In 1913 William Moorcroft was able to move production of his pottery to Sandback Road thanks to significant financial investment from Liberty. It was here that W Moorcroft Ltd art pottery was manufactured for the first time. A fine example of Macintyre Moorcroft Florian Ware is the two-handled vase, circa 1900-02, decorated in the Peacock pattern against a pale ground, which gives expression to the Art Nouveau in both its form and decoration. It sold at Toovey’s for £4600. The pair of Eventide pattern Moorcroft Pottery vases were also designed by William Moorcroft and date form around 1925. They are vividly decorated with a sunset behind a stand of trees. It realised £2000 at Toovey’s.

A Macintyre Moorcroft Florian Ware two-handled vase, circa 1900-02

William’s eldest son, Walter, took over the company on his father’s death in 1945 with responsibility for much of the design work. Walter bought out Liberty’s interest in the firm in 1962. With rising fuel and labour costs the business was sold to Roper Brothers in 1984. By 1986 their attempt to mass produce Moorcroft Pottery had failed and they sold the company to Hugh Edwards and Richard Dennis whose wife Sally Tuffin produced designs for Moorcroft until she left with her husband to found the Dennis China Works. Sally’s designs provided a more contemporary voice to the Moorcroft style incorporating animals, birds and flowers. During this period Walter Moorcroft was joined by Rachel Bishop as the pottery’s chief designer. Rachel created floral patterns in a historical manner often drawing influence from William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement.

To this day Moorcroft’s pottery designs are beautifully created in the handmade, labour intensive way that they have been for most of the factory’s history. They appeal to the luxury market and are sought after by collectors from around the world. Toovey’s English & European ceramics specialist Joanne Hardy is inviting entries for her next specialist sale of Moorcroft to be held on Thursday 5th December 2024.

Historic Motor Racing Fans Unperterbed by the Rain at the 2024 Goodwood Revival

Lining up for the Jaguar XK engine 75th anniversary parade

The rain came down at the 2024 Goodwood Revival but failed to dampen the spirits of those attending this important, international festival of historic motorsport here in the heart of Sussex. The weekend featured a packed program of exciting racing, made more so by the wet conditions. Unperturbed almost everyone attending were dressed-to-the nines in period dress with many of the ladies rocking this year’s glamorous dress with wellies look.

There are few engines as iconic as Jaguar’s straight six XK engine. It powered their racing cars to five Le Mans 24 Hours victories in just seven years. Sir William Lyons tasked his chief engineer William Heynes and his team to design an engine to push the company forward after the Second World War. The engine was so successful it was raced from 1949 to 1966 and remained in use in Jaguars road cars until 1986.

A moving parade of Second World War vehicles and a moment of reflection marked the 80th Anniversary of the D-day landings in the presence of a number of courageous veterans.

Vernon Williamson’s 1949 JP-Vincent Prototype at the 2024 Goodwood Revival

On the Sunday afternoon the sun finally broke through just in time for the Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration. The power, scale and noise from the AC Cobras, Bizarrani 5300GT and Corvette Sting Rays were almost elemental but the handling of the E-type Jaguars held them to account. The TT Celebration is always amongst the highlights of the weekend. Two cars were in a class of their own and duelled throughout the race. They were driven by two current stars of the British Touring Car Championships. Jake Hill drove Grahame Bryant’s 1964 AC Cobra and was harried by Tom Ingram in Mike Whitaker’s ever popular 1964 TVR Griffith 400. A cheer went up around the track in the closing laps as Tom Ingram passed his opponent and narrowly hung on to the lead for the win.

As the exuberant sound of the racing cars and bikes at Goodwood ended the cacophony of sound, the smell of racing oil and tyres and the spectacle of speed and colour faded to memory. I am already looking forward to next year’s Goodwood Member’s Meeting with more historic racing. The GRRC Spring Members’ Meeting is always an exciting celebration of motor racing which is exclusively for GRRC and GRRC Fellowship members here in the heart of Sussex To find out more about the benefits of membership, how to join, and to book tickets for this year’s Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival go to www.goodwood.com/sports/motorsport.