Famous Artists Gather at Cornish Auction House

July 19, 2012 - PRLog -- On Thursday 2nd August, The Penzance Auction House will host the biggest Fine Art Sale that it has ever seen, featuring many of the celebrated Cornish artists including Stanhope Forbes, Dorothea Sharp, Harold Harvey and Alfred Wallis.

Over 700 lots totaling over 4000 pictures will go on sale, including studio collections from Ernest Walbourn, Barrie Briscoe and Mary Rowlands-Pritchard.

With bids from the floor, via the phones and the internet, interest is expected from all over the world.

Auctioneer David Lay explains how all of these famous artists have come together under his roof:

“Victorian artist, Ernest Walbourn left his estate to his four sons who inherited his studio collection when he died.  Kept in storage for half a century in Cornwall, one son passed these paintings onto his daughter.  She is now selling the collection – which includes unfinished originals and work from Ernest’s wife Eva.  It is the biggest Walbourn collection to have gone on sale in over 40 years and the collection is expected to reach between £15,000 and £20,000”.

Barry Briscoe was an innovative and revered architect and painter who hailed from Canada but loved Penzance. Barrie sadly died in 2010 but his many Cornish buildings have left his mark on the landscape.  His partner Petra Elkan has written a piece for the auction catalogue and is selling the collection which totals 70 lots and includes work on canvas and drawings.

An extract of Petra’s inclusion in the auction catalogue reads:

“Between painting, architecture and stained glass, the emphasis of Barrie’s work ebbed and flowed over the years.  He began as an abstract painter in 60’s USA and Canada, following on from Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell and Richard Diebenkorn, changing to figurative painting when he came to Cornwall from New York in the early seventies and discovered the great West Cornish art heritage and befriending fellow Cornish contemporary artists.  His architecture evolved too, from super modern to his own version of the Cornish vernacular.  There are now over a hundred of his buildings in the area.”

A collection from acclaimed local artist, Mary Rowlands-Pritchard, is also in the sale.  Mary was born in St.Mawes and moved to Devon before returning to set up studio in Penzance. Sadly dying in 2010, Mary is famous for her interpretations of Helston Flora Day and Newlyn Fish Festival, and over 50 of her pieces are included in this sale.

With strength in both contemporary and traditional disciplines, this is the biggest art sale that the county has ever seen.

Items will be available to view through the catalogue which is online at  http://www.davidlay.co.uk Public viewing is on the Saturday and Wednesday prior to the sale and bids can be taken from the floor, phones or online at www.the-saleroom.com  

In the meantime, General Household Sales take place at Penzance Auction House every Tuesday, with viewings held the Saturday before.  For more info, please visitwww.davidlay.co.uk  

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EDITOR’S NOTES
Contact: Helen Mulhern at Eventy – Marketing & PR on 01326 376273 / helen@eventy.co.uk

Photo: Please find attached a selection of low res photos of paintings in the collection.  Higher res images are available on request.