30th Aug, 2017 18:00

The Scottish Pictures Auction

 
  Lot 33
 

* JOHN MACLAUCHLAN MILNE RSA (SCOTTISH 1885 - 1957), A PARIS SCENE oil on canvas board, signed 35cm x 26.5cm (13.78 x 10.43 inches) Framed. Provenance: Bequeathed to a Miss Nancy Rae by her former long term employer, a Falkirk (Scotland) Solicitor, and by descent. Note: A rare Paris painting from between 1920 and 1922 when Milne lived in the French capital. Seeing Cezanne's work for the first time was a eureka moment for Milne who until then had painted much like his father in a sedate and traditional style. He discovered a completely new freedom and walked the streets and sights of Paris painting what he saw, en plein air and with rapid, bold brush strokes. Above all, he discovered ''colour''. This very distinct Paris period saw Milne producing some of his most spontaneous and desirable work and usually on smaller scale artist boards. By 1922/3 he had moved to the French village of Lavardin and by 1924 he was in Cassis with Peploe and Cadell and beginning to conform much more to what became known as the Scottish Colourist style. Milne is often referred to as ''the fifth Scottish Colourist'' and yet his quality is at least the equal of much of the output of the other four. Even though Milne's paintings were widely exhibited in his lifetime at the very best venues to great success, it's probably because he never established a long term relationship with any one gallery or dealer that his paintings have been undervalued for many years. It took until 1987 before the first Milne painting reached the £20,000 mark at auction when ''Busy Paris Street Scene with Figures (1922)'' was sold by Christie's, Glasgow (lot 664, 28th April 1987 £20,000 hammer). The John Maclauchlan Milne Estate is now represented by Tom Hewlett's Portland Gallery (London) and unsurprisingly, his profile and values have been growing. A major exhibition ''Milne And The Colourist Connection'' will be staged at Portland Gallery (London) 21st September -13th October 2017.

 

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Sold for £25,000
Estimated at £10,000 - £20,000


 
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