Pietro Annigoni | Lots 90-96

Born in Milan on 7 June 1910, Pietro Annigoni was the son of Ricciardo Annigoni, a mechanical engineer. In 1925 the family moved to Florence and Pietro attended life drawing classes at the Circolo degli Artisti and at the Accademia di Belle Arti.

In 1927, he entered the Accademia as a full-time student, taking courses in painting, sculpture, and engraving. Annigoni was heavily influenced by the Accademia’s classical teaching, finding inspiration in the subject matter and techniques of the great Italian old masters.

During the 1930s he found critical acclaim in Italy, exhibiting widely and receiving numerous commissions, the most notable being a series of frescoes in the Convent of San Marco, Florence. However, his open opposition to Mussolini led to his ostracism from the Italian artistic establishment and he struggled as an artist until the collapse of Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship and the ending of World War II in 1945.

Looking for new audiences for his work he entered three paintings, including Portrait of the Artist, into the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London in 1949. These were duly accepted into the show and as Annigoni had hoped, were discovered by collectors and dealers alike. This recognition and acclaim lead to subsequent exhibitions at the Wildenstein Gallery and Agnews in London.

"The greatest painter of the age."

~ Sir Alfred Munnings, former President of the Royal Academy

Success in London and beyond

Building on this new audience Annigoni started to live in London for six months a year, undertaking an increasing number of commissions, particularly for portraits. This includes the present work, painted in 1953, just a year before he famously painted the portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth II. Commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers in 1954, the work was unveiled at the Royal Academy in 1955. Crowds flocked to view the painting and attendance was recorded at almost 300,000, making it the most popular Summer Exhibition for over 50 years. The Times produced a limited-edition print which instantly sold out and Sir Alfred Munnings, former President of the Royal Academy proclaimed Annigoni to be “The Greatest Painter of the age.”

The publicity and popularity that this portrait received led to many other commissions including a second portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the National Portrait Gallery, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Margaret. He continued to be in demand throughout his life, with requests coming from all walks of life, and he completed portraits of Pope John XIII, John F. Kennedy, the Shah and Empress of Iran, Julie Andrews, Margot Fontane, Rudolph Nureyev and Salvatore Ferragamo to name but a few.

His work is represented in numerous public collections, including the National Portrait Gallery, London, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Uffizi Gallery, Florence, The Vatican, Rome, Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco.

Juanita Forbes

Born on 25th January 1929 to Lt-Col James Stewart Forbes and the sculptor Feridah Taylor, Juanita grew up in an artistic household frequented by artists and stars of the silver screen. In 1949 she married the actor, Anthony Steel, famous for his roles in films such as The Wooden Horse and Where No Vultures Fly. They divorced 5 years later and on her 32nd Birthday she married Richard Stickney.

Dreweatts interview with Juanita Forbes

Earlier this year, Dreweatts' specialist Will Porter was privileged to meet Mrs Stickney, still living in West London, and was given this very personal insight into the beautiful portrait and how it came to be painted some 75 years ago.

Your Mother, Feridah Forbes, was an accomplished sculptor and so I can imagine you growing up in a house full of art and artists? WILL PORTER (WP)

I grew up in the Chelsea Studios, 412-416 Fulham Road surrounded by aspiring artists and lots of art of all descriptions. JUANITA FORBES (JF)

WP | Am I right in thinking that you became a muse for Jacob Epstein?

JF | My mother Feridah Forbes met Jacob Epstein, who became a friend, at the same Art Bronze Foundry she used next door to the studios and commissioned him to do the nude and the head of me, so I was not really a muse but probably a favourite, maybe that is a muse...

WP | How did you meet Pietro Annigoni?

JF | My mother was a friend of the artist Timothy Whidborne who was a student of Annigoni and also lived in the Chelsea Studios. He introduced her to Annigoni, and she commissioned the painting.

WP | What was it like sitting for him?

JF | It took 4-6 months sitting for two hours at a time. I used to see him in the evenings after work and was usually very tired, so he had to ply me with coffee to stop me from falling asleep!

WP | In the painting you are holding an hourglass. Is this a symbol of the passing of time or maybe there is a more personal significance?

JF | Annigoni’s favourite saying was “tout passe, tout casse, tout lasse” (et tout ce remplace) and the hourglass was his depiction of this.

WP | And is the landscape behind anywhere specific?

JF | I think it was Venice. The portrait was painted in London of course so it was done from his imagination.

WP | You married the actor, Anthony Steele in 1949. How did you meet?

JF | At a drinks party with Bill Travers (Born Free & Ring of Bright Water) who became our best man. Tony was famed for his White African Hunter Films

WP | That must have been an exciting time in your life?

JF | Yes very, I was a catwalk model for The House of Worth, Maggie Rouff and various department stores and did some extras work in films like Kind Hearts and Coronets, I was the lady in the MG who Sir Alec Guiness wolf whistled at!

WP | Annigoni painted one of the most celebrated paintings of Queen Elizabeth II just a couple of years after your portrait and became a much sort after portraitist. Did you remain friends?

JF | Very much so, my mother sadly passed away before the painting was completed but he and I remained firm friends for many years thereafter, he also tried to paint my young son, but he would not sit still for long enough!

WP | What are your abiding memories of Pietro Annigoni?

JF | A kind, generous, funny, raconteur always with his favourite Gauloise in hand!

Additional Works by Pietro Annigoni

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Auction Details

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

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