Algernon Newton (British 1880-1968)

We are pleased to be offering this work titled House on the Surrey Canal by Algernon Newton (Lot 97). The gritty, urban landscape through the eyes of Algernon Newton becomes picturesque, serene, and captivating. Often referred to as the "Canaletto of the canals," Newton was celebrated for his ability to infuse urban scenes with a calm, contemplative atmosphere - a skill honed through his training at the Slade School of Fine Art and the London School of Art in Kensington. Newton recorded and interpreted on canvas the industrial and technological changes of his era, capturing the transformation of the urban landscape.

"The whole must glow with a golden light."

~ Algernon Newton

In House on the Surrey Canal, Newton showcases his remarkable talent for capturing the quiet allure of industrial London. The painting is bathed in a soft light that invites the viewer to linger, guiding the eye across sunlit crates, the shimmering waters of the canal, and the townhouse that stands quietly yet enigmatically in the foreground. Newton's meticulous attention to light, shaped by his admiration for Canaletto, is particularly evident here. He frequently visited the National Gallery in London to study Canaletto's mastery of light in his large-scale Venetian landscapes. Newton adopted Canaletto's technique of tonal contrasts and the layering of thin glazes to create a flat, serene effect.

He was particularly drawn to the canal network within the urban landscape. This work is an ambitious example from this canal series painted in 1950. The work was last seen in public in 1980 when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy and has been in private ownership ever since.

Michael Canney (British 1923-1999)

British artist, Michael Canney (1923-1999) was best known for his abstract geometric paintings and contributions to post-war art. Influenced by the Constructivist movement, his work explored colour, form and space. Following the invention of alkyd oil paint in the 1930s and 40s, developed for industrial processes requiring special paint finishes, Canney adopted this new medium to create new innovative works. Due to its quick drying nature, it meant that Canney could paint with a newfound precision, which was impossible to achieve with slow drying oils. It allowed him to use contrasting tones without the risk of the colours bleeding, and to create effects on the surface of the paint with various techniques.⁠

In our auction this October, we have this work by Michael Canney, titled 'Square Variation VI', executed in alkyd and pencil on board (Lot 3).

The Collection of Herbert Spencer

Herbert Spencer (1924-2002) was one of the most influential British graphic designers of the 20th Century. In 1949 he founded, wrote and designed the ground-breaking journal Typographica. It focused on typographical design and its applications in the real world. It was the first journal to really explore how typography can contribute to and even shape popular culture as opposed to merely its practical applications and it introduced a new generation of printers and designers to the history of modernist design in Europe.

As a designer one of his first clients was the Institute of Contemporary Arts where he met Eric Gregory, the Chairman of Lund Humphries. They would subsequently go on to publish Typographica and Douglas Cooper’s The Work of Graham Sutherland in 1961 which Spencer designed. It was during this project that he met and became friends with Graham Sutherland.

Graham Sutherland (1903-1980) is well known for his abstract landscapes and portraits of public figures. We are pleased to be offering nine of his works (Lots 20-28) from the collection of Herbert Spencer, which were gifted to him by Sutherland.

Paul Nash (British 1889-1946)

From British artist, Paul Nash, we have Lot 38, this drawing Study in Pale Tones: The Pond at Oxenbridge, Iden in Rye, Sussex. Dated 1921, this is one of the earliest depictions of Oxenbridge farmhouse in the village of Iden in East Sussex. Paul and his wife Margaret had moved to nearby Dymchurch in 1921. Nash's mental health was severely impacted by his wartime experience and this was a period characterised by inner turmoil and subsequent recuperation. Study in Pale Tones, the Pond at Oxenbridge is a break from the desolation of Nash's wartime works and a move towards the romantic depictions of the English landscape that characterised his work in the decade that followed.

Oxenbridge Farm in Iden was owned by close friends of the Nashes, Bertram and Kitty Buchanan. Bertram had also served as a war artist and they were frequent visitors to the farm which became a recurrent subject of many of Nash's 1920s works. From Dymchurch, the Nashes moved to Oxenbridge Cottage in 1925, staying there until they left for Rye in 1930.

The Guy Reed Collection at Copgrove Hall

From Copgrove Hall, we have a number of works from the Guy Reed Collection, which are to be sold on behalf of the Guy Reed Will Trust and a member of the Reed Family. The collection (Lots 64-71) includes works by Mary Fedden, Jeroen Krabbé, John Lowrie Morrison, Gerald A. Cooper, Harold Clayton, Doris Clare Zinkeisen and Cecil Beaton.

Guy Reed was born into a farming family in Yorkshire and grew up near Thirsk, in the village of Sandhutton. During and after World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force and by the age of eighteen he was stationed in France, tasked with refuelling and re-arming Spitfires. Once demobilised, Reed acquired redundant airfields on whose runways he located poultry farming units, achieving remarkable success with companies like Buxted Chickens, Buxted Turkeys and Nitrovit Foodstuffs and establishing himself as a key figure in the agricultural industry. He later diversified his business interests and achieved further success towards the end of his career with Reed Boardall Cold Storage.

Following Guy Reed’s death in 2013, Copgrove Stud was transferred to the Guy Reed Will Trust, ensuring that its operations would continue in accordance with his wishes. Today, Copgrove operates as a premier commercial stud farm in Yorkshire, offering boarding services to horses owned by a prestigious global clientele. Reed’s blood lines continue to produce winners — most recently Economics, a descendant of Ardneasken, who won the 2024 Dante Stakes at York.

Property from the Estate of Freda Paolozzi

Another substantial collection we are pleased to be offering is a selection of works by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (Lots 102-117), which come to auction from the estate of his wife Freda Paolozzi. The collection includes collages from Paolozzi's The History of Nothing (Lots 106-117). Created in 1962, The History of Nothing is a twelve minute film of changing sepia and black and white stills put to an equally seemingly random soundtrack of locomotives, aircraft, barking dogs, church bells and Kabuki theatre. It is fundamentally a 'Surrealist collage in time'.

Learn more about the collection

Edward Burra (British 1905-1976)

Burra was never a conventional artist. His early work comprises vibrant depictions of urban scenes, snapshots of the new modern world and city nightlife in particular. And yet his works are rarely straight-forward. They are frequently imbued with a sense of the bizarre, the surreal, shining a spotlight on the seedier, macabre side of life.  Burra's post war works incorporate new themes such as landscape, fruit and flower works and market scenes. However, as ever, nothing is straight-forward - as shown here in The Loaf, a watercolour and gouache work (Lot 122) in which strange, ambiguous shapes emerge from the everyday objects. Humorous and surreal, the meaning remains elusive. Burra himself was always reticent about discussing his work preferring the viewer to make their own interpretation, forever leaving more questions than answers.

Pietro Annigoni (Italian 1910-1988)

Pietro Annigoni (1910-1988) was an Italian 20th century realist painter, draftsmen, sculptor, printmaker and probably best know for his portraits of Queen Elizabeth II. We are delighted to be offering seven works by Annigoni including a sensitive and impressive portrait of Juanita Forbes (Lot 90). Painted over 70 years ago in 1953, the portrait was commissioned by Juanita's mother, Feridah Forbes, having been introduced by friend Timothy Whidborne, who was a student of Annigoni. The work took 4-6 months to complete, with Juanita having to sit for Annigoni in the evenings after work. Sadly, Feridah Forbes passed away before the painting was completed, but Juanita and Pietro remained friends for years. 

Learn more about this work and the rest of the collection

Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (Scottish 1883-1937)

Finally, we wanted to take a look at Lot 148, The Spanish Lady by Scottish artist Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell. Standing at just over one and a half metres tall The Spanish Lady is a virtuoso work of confident brush strokes and carefully controlled palette. It combines all that Cadell had learned from his studies in Paris and Munich as a young man, with his knowledge and experience of not only the most current artistic trends but also masterpieces from the past. It is in essence a celebration of the history of portraiture rendered in a very contemporary hand.

The present work brings a surety and strength of brushstroke to this monumental canvas that gives it a structure that then allows him to control the palette of closely modulated tones of blacks, whites and ochres, carefully and harmoniously laid down so that the figure, the landscape, and the sky exist as one, punctuated with vibrant flashes of colour such as the vermillion red carnation in the model’s hair.

The scale and pose bring to mind the great portrait painters from the 17th and 18th Centuries; Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, and the Spanish Masters of Velasquez and Francisco Goya; the handling more of Eduard Manet and the coolness of palette of James Abbot McNeil Whistler. This work could as easily be called Harmony in White and Black as The Spanish Lady and is a testament to Cadell’s knowledge of art history and his consummate manipulation of the paint surface and subtlety of tone on such a grand scale.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 23 October, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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VIEWING: 

• Viewing in London (highlights): 
  • Wednesday 9 October: 10am-4pm
  • Thursday 10 October: 10am-4pm
  • Friday 11 October: 10am-4pm
• Viewing in Newbury (full sale): 
  • Sunday 20 October: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 21 October: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 22 October: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 23 October: 9am-4pm
• Remote Viewing Service: Available from Sunday 20 October
• Dreweatts 360 Virtual Auction Tour | Available from Friday 11 October