Roseberys are delighted to present the Modern British  20th Century Art auction on the 14th March, featuring a number of notable collections including the Collection of an Important Patron of British Art (lot 1-54); the Estate of the late David Cornwell, best-known as the author John Le Carré (lot 55-64); the Collection of The Lord Cottesloe, Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1960-65 (lot 83-85) and the Collection of Saatchi & Saatchi, London (lot 422-460).

We are very fortunate to be selling a collection of over 40 works owned by the advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi, London, which includes pieces by Lucas Samaras, Greek/American b.1936-, Joel Shapiro, American b.1941 -, Julian Opie b.1958 -, and Stephen Buckley, b.1944 -. A number of the works are featured in Alistair Hicks’s book, ‘New British Art in the Saatchi Collection’, Thames and Hudson, London, 1989 and many of the works have not been seen for over a decade. Saatchi & Saatchi was originally founded in 1970 by brothers Maurice (now Lord Saatchi) and Charles Saatchi. The brothers departed the company in 1995. 

Highlights include two works by Lucas Samaras, Greek/American b.1963 - Box #51, 1966 (lot 424); and Chair Transformation 22, 1969-70 (lot 425). Box #51, 1966 was originally part of the Tremaine Collection – the private collection of Burton G. Tremaine, Sr., the director of the Miller Company, Connecticut and Emily Hall Tremaine, which included works by Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

The collection, including this piece by Samaras, was exhibited in 1984 at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Connecticut, and works were later sold from the collection at Christie’s in 1988.

Chair Transformation 22, 1969-70, belongs to a series of twenty-five chairs made from 1969-70, with other works in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, Washington (#20B); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (#7 and #17A); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (#6 and #16); and Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis (#1). This chair was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art along with others from the series in an exhibition that ran from 1972-73.


Another highlight is Joel Shapiro, American b.1941 - Untitled (House), 1974 (lot 426); this iconic piece demonstrates the artists pioneering response to Minimalism and our understanding of space in the 1970s. A similar edition to the present work from the Collection of Robert and Marguerite Hoffman was exhibited in 2015 at The Warehouse, Dallas, as part of 'Geometries On and Off the Grid: Art from 1950 to the Present' curated by Allan Schwartzman.

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The collection also features works from the 1980s by important British artists of the era, including Julian Opie (lot 430-433), Stephen Buckley (lot 442-443), and Grenville Davey (lot 429). Opie was a central figure associated with the so-called ‘New British Sculpture’ of the 1980s.


The Collection of an Important Patron of British Art (lot 1-54) highlights the very best of British art from the 50 years and includes a joyful, late work by Sir Terry Frost RA, 1915-2003 - (lot 5); alongside works by Fred Yates, 1922-2008 - (lot 7), Antony Gormley, b.1950 - (lot 49) and collections of works by the late Ken Howard OBE RA, 1932-2022 (lot 31-32); Barbara Rae RA RSA RSW, b.1943 – (lot 25-28) and Dame Elisabeth Frink RA, 1930-1993 – (lot 10-12). The owner knew and worked with many of these and other artists personally, supporting their careers and promoting their work.


Another exciting collection for lovers of espionage novels is the Estate of the late David Cornwell, best-known as the author John Le Carré (lot 55-64). Celebrated for his acclaim works Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy (1974) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), his collection on offer includes pieces by Guy Taplin, b.1939 - (lot 59), Rose Hilton, 1931-2019 – (lot 58), Quentin Blake OBE, b.1932 - (lot 62) and an atmospheric painting by Charles Pears RI ROI RSMA, 1873-1958 – (lot 55), demonstrating the artist highly modern approach to maritime art.

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Finally we have a beautiful collection of three classic Modern British artworks previously owned by the The Lord Cottesloe (1900-1994), Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1960-65 (lot 83-85). This comprises a landscape by Philip Wilson Steer OM, 1860-1942 – (lot 85) and two Venetian scenes; John Piper CH, The Salute Looking Towards the Lagoon, 1959 (lot 84), bought from the famous Arthur Jeffress Gallery, London, and Walter Richard Sickert ARA, 1860-1942 – The Church of the Barefoot Friars, Venice, 1895-96 (lot 83). The work by Sickert was owned previously by Sir Augustus Daniel KBE (1866-1950), the curator of the National Gallery, London, from 1929-1933.

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Important standalone works include an early painting by James Dickson Innes, 1887-1914 - The Land's End, Cornwall, 1909 (lot 87) rediscovered in Scotland and newly authenticated. We also have portraits of Sir Edward Marsh, 1872-1953 – (lot 107) - Winston Churchill's secretary for twenty-three years and instrumental in the founding of the Contemporary Arts Society – and, in his coronation year, King Charles III, in Sketches of H.R.H. Prince Charles' for the painting of The Coronation of H.M. The Queen in Westminster Abbey in June 1953 by Terence Cuneo CVO OBE RGI, 1907-1996 - (lot 240).

We also have two masterworks from the Post-War era, influenced by ancient ritual and symbols; Marion Adnams, 1898-1995 - La Ronde, 1963 (lot 159) and Aubrey Williams, Guyanese/British 1926-1990 - Volcanic Ash, 1959 (lot 183). Both works have been in private collections for many years and are fresh to the market. Contemporary highlights include a collection of works by recently appointed Royal Academician and 2022 Turner Prize winner Veronica Ryan OBE RA, b.1956 – (lot 420-421).
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