Artwork from the Estate of Leonard Rosoman OBE RA up for auction

16/10/2020     Modern & Contemporary British Art, News Stories & Press Release

^{Lot 229 : Leonard Rosoman OBE RA, British 1913-2013- Girl and Cat, 1990 from the Games I: The Huey Series, acrylic on canvas. Estimated to sell for  £4,000- £6,000}

Roseberys London are delighted to offer work within the Modern & Contemporary British Art auction on Wednesday 4 November from the Leonard and Roxanne Rosoman Estate. The collection compromises of fifteen lots in total by the Leonard Rosoman OBE RA, starting from lot 226 and ending the sale with lot 241.

^{Lot 232 : Leonard Rosoman OBE RA, British, 1913-2012- Section from Hybrid with pole vaulter, from the artist's dining room wall, begun 1972; acrylic on plaster on unstretchered canvas. Estimated to make £2,500- £3,500}

Leonard Rosoman OBE RA was a British artist born in 1913, who worked as a war artist, a printmaker, a painter and an illustrator. He is particularly well-known for his murals, completing commissions most notably for the 1951 Festival of Britain at the Southbank Centre, the Royal Museum of Scotland, the Royal Academy, and the ceiling of Lambeth Palace Chapel. Over his career Rosoman also taught at a number of noteworthy art schools, including Camberwell College of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art.

^{Lot 223 : Leonard Rosoman OBE RA, British, 1913-2012- Section from Hybrid with Roxanne Rosoman at her piano, dining room wall, begun 1972; acrylic on plaster laid on unstretchered canvas. Estimated at £3,000 - £5,000}

The paintings which Rosoman completed on the walls of his own dining room, such as Hybrid on offer at Roseberys Modern & Contemporary British Art auction that is estimated to sell for £3,000- £5,000 offer an insight into the more personal aspect of his murals. These paintings were begun in 1972, and continually reworked for the following 30 years, giving us a sense of a longer-term development of Rosoman’s style and subject matter. His painting of his wife Roxanne seated at a piano for offer in lot 223 is a particularly intimate scene which hints directly at Roxanne’s musical talents, and, more obliquely, at the harmony of their relationship. This is one of a number of paintings of Roxanne at her piano by Rosoman. Her position, facing away from the viewer, creates a strong sense of Roxanne’s self-contained independence, whilst also suggesting the sense of familiarity, emphasising the connection of the artist and sitter as husband and wife.

^{Lot 235 : Leonard Rosoman OBE RA, British 1913-2012- The Silver Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum, c.1958-59; oil on canvas. Estimated to sell for £2,000- £4,000}

Rosoman’s painting of The Silver Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum (c.1958-59), that is estimated to sell for £2,000- £4,000, is an impressive example of a work completed relatively early in Rosoman’s career. This artwork is a striking study in the representation of light through the medium of oil on canvas. Rosoman depicts different types of light, contrasting cooler, direct daylight with warmer, yellow light. The setting also allows Rosoman to suggest the play of light on a number of surfaces, including the silver of the V&A collection and the glass of their display cases. Through this deliberation on the nature of light and its representation, Rosoman’s painting evokes a powerful sense of the calm and stillness of an empty gallery.

View the fully illustrated catalogue here.

Find out more about the other highlights within the Modern & Contemporary British Art auction here.

Modern & Contemporary British Art

Wednesday 4 November, 11am

Room bidding strictly by appointment only. Please contact pictures@roseberys.co.uk to book in an appointment

Viewing times

 Viewing is by appointment only.

Please contact pictures@roseberys.co.uk to book an appointment

Friday 30 October 10am-5pm (last appointment 4pm)

Sunday 1 November 10am-2pm (last appointment 1pm)

Monday 2 November 10am-5pm (last appointment 4pm)

Tuesday 3 November 10am-5pm (last appointment 4pm)

For any press or marketing related questions please contact Peigi Mackillop

peigimackillop@roseberys.co.uk

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