The Paintings in Hospitals Collection is the first collection of art in the UK created to support people’s physical and mental health. Started in 1959 when the almoner Sheridan Russell hung a painting on the wall of a London hospital, Russell passionately believed in the healing potential of art and despite criticism and dismissal, he was determined to enliven as many hospitals as possible. Supported by the President of the Royal Academy, Roger de Grey, from 1971 and a grant from the Nuffield Foundation, the work was soon recognised as beneficial and Paintings in Hospitals was born.

The collection has now been operating for 65 years and features works by Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley, Maggie Hambling, Ian Davenport and Anita Klein, and reaches an audience of nearly 2 million people annually, enabling people to make decisions about art and their care environment and experience. The charity has reacted to the changing environment for healthcare and extended its work into community settings including libraries, collaborating with those who have English as a second language, the socially isolated and those at the end-of-life stage.

Speaking about the sale, Sandra Bruce-Gordon FRSA, Chief Executive of Paintings in Hospitals, has said,

In its 65th Anniversary year Paintings in Hospitals’ work has never been more relevant in improving health and wellbeing through the use of visual art in hospitals, care spaces and communities. As a charity that receives no statutory funding, all proceeds from the auction will allow us to continue our work supporting people to lead more healthy fulfilling lives.

Lots of interest

Lot 11: Quentin Blake OBE, The Big Draw, 2006

This is a remarkable, large scale piece by one of Britain’s most beloved and renowned illustrators. Best known for his work with Roald Dahl, Blakes use of bright colours imbue this artwork with the same sense of vitality and originality which make his illustrations so popular across generations.

Lot 2: Lucy Harwood, Holly Berries and Flowers

A Suffolk based artist, Harwood studied with Cedric Morris and his partner Arthur Letts-Haines, at his celebrated East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Dedham. Her work is currently the subject of a major exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester, ‘Bold Impressions’.

Lot 6: Stefan Knapp, Sunrise Landscape II, 1966

Knapp is famously known for his patented technique of enamel painting on steel. He was commissioned to decorate multiple public spaces, including murals for Heathrow Airport in the 1960s and a mural for the Warsaw metro entitled 'The Battle of Britain'.