Roseberys concluded its 2024 pictures auctions with three successful Modern British & 20th Century Art sales, setting a world record for Scottish Artist Gertrude Alice Meredith Williams. The work was included in the sale of the private collection of Mary and Alan Hobart, founders of Pyms Gallery, which achieved an 80% sell through rate.
A bronze by Scottish sculptor Gertrude Alice Meredith Williams realised a price of £11,808. This is the highest price for a work by the artist sold at auction.* Williams was represented in Modern Scottish Women (7 Nov 2015 — 26 Jun 2016) at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and collaborated with the architect Robert S. Lorimer on three major war memorials, most famously the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh (1927).
Part I of the Modern British & 20th Century Art sales (Early Modern to Post War) was led by a sensitive bronze after the French sculptor Aristide Maillol, which realised a price of £47,040. After competitive bidding on the phones and online, the sculpture went to a buyer in France. The figure of the baigneuse debout (standing bather) came with strong provenance, from the collection of Francis Haskell, FBA (1928-2000). Francis Haskell was one of the most distinguished and internationally admired art historians of his generation and Professor of Art History at Oxford from 1967-1995. The present work was an overmolding made during the artist's lifetime.
A further sculpture by American Expressionist Leonard Baskin highlighted the sale, realising a price of £11,152. The sale included a major selection of works by Baskin, showcasing one of the most comprehensive collections of his work to come to market.
Lot 1046: Leonard Baskin, American 1922–2000 - Prometheus, c.1948; Price Realised: £11,152
Part II of the Modern British sale (Pop to Contemporary) was led by a vibrant 1981 work by Keith Haring, which realised a price of £20,992. This work is a classic example of Haring's visual language. Drawing on plastic wrap over an existing drawing is demonstrative of his playful and experimental nature, akin to the subway drawings he began creating prolifically during this time.
"Roseberys’ final three Modern British sales were consistent, and had strong results for lesser known female artists, including Gertrude Alice Meredith Williams and Greek Artist Maria Filopolou. A similar work on the same theme is present in the collection of the National Gallery in Athens"
-William Summerfield, Associate Director and Head of Modern British & 20th Century Art.
Lot 481: Maria Filopoulou, Greek b.1964 - Swimmers; Price Realised: £11,152
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