Sir William Orpen, KBE RA RHA, 
Irish 1878-1931 - 
Interior, the Artist's Studio, Chelsea,...

Sir William Orpen, KBE RA RHA, 
Irish 1878-1931 - 

Interior, the Artist's Studio, Chelsea, c.1902-7;

pen and ink wash on squared up paper, 23 x 21.4 cm 

Provenance: 
Sotheby's, London, The Irish Sale, 18th May 2001, lot 182; 
Pyms Gallery, London, stock no.H657 and purchased from the above (label on the reverse)

Exhibited: 
Watts Gallery, Guildford, 'William Orpen: Method & Mastery', 2019 

Note: 
This study of the artist’s studio highlights the intimacy of Orpen's craft, capturing the comfortable and stylish environment he created for his sitters. His home in Chelsea was a frequent subject in his work, and featured in multiple works in the collection at the Tate Britain, London.

Irish born Sir William Orpen was one of the most important artists working in early 20th century Britain and his work made while an Official War Artist in WWI are now considered amongst the most powerful paintings depicting war ever made. 

Orpen’s work was synonymous with the endeavours and achievements of Mary and Alan Hobart at Pyms Gallery, as they were instrumental in bringing about a reappraisal of his work in the late 20th century. Due to various feuds with Augustus John and Wyndham Lewis amongst others, Orpen's reputation has been tarnished following his death and was rarely exhibited or written about. From their 1982 ‘The Irish Revival’, the Hobarts exhibited important Irish modern artists at their gallery in London, bringing these figures back to prominence. Orpen’s work was central to their private collection and was featured heavily in the exhibition ‘Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection’ at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in 2023.