24th Oct, 2021 13:00

The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction

 
  Lot 644
 

THE OLD FARMHOUSE, AN OIL BY HERBERT WHONE

* HERBERT WHONE (BRITISH 1925 - 2011),
THE OLD FARMHOUSE
oil on canvas, signed and dated '60 (or possibly '66)
image size 67cm x 113cm, overall size 81cm x 126cm
Framed.
Note: Herbert Whone was born in Bingley, West Yorkshire, where his parents were both employed in the cloth mills. He was encouraged by his mother to ''improve'' himself culturally, and from an early age took photographs and practised the violin. After education at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the Royal Northern College of Music) and Manchester University, he secured positions in the Royal Opera House Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, before moving to Glasgow in 1955, where he took up the position of deputy leader of the Scottish National Orchestra. He was inspired by Glasgow's changing fortunes and painted a series of notable canvases featuring the beauty of a city and surrounding areas in transition. His paintings of trams and shipbuilding on and around the Clyde, to pick two of his fondest subjects, were presented with warmth and beauty, almost impressionistic in their depiction of glowing sunsets and use of rich colour. Herbert Whone (often incorrectly catalogued as Herbert Bannister Whone, his father's name) continued to paint long after his departure from Glasgow in 1964 and made several trips back to Scotland to paint, but It's the relatively small body of work produced in and around the city that stands testament to his exceptional talent. Whone's paintings, while highly collected and critically acclaimed, are still to attain the full recognition and commercial value they deserve and will surely eventually achieve. Known collectors of Herbert Whone's paintings included Joan Eardley, Margot Sandeman, Cyril Gerber, Johnny Beattie and Magnus Magnusson. Growing collector interest in Herbert Whone has seen his auction record price being beaten on an almost annual basis in recent years. This is even more impressive as auction appearances of his larger paintings are becoming ever rarer. However, during the last 12 months the prices achieved in our auctions for Herbert Whone paintings have been £7000, £8000, £13,000 (at the time, a new auction record) and in The Scottish Pictures Auction on 24th September, lot 2030 (Tram & Figures in Rain, Byres Road) set yet another world auction record selling for £18,000 (hammer). Public collections include: Glasgow Museums & Galleries, The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, The Hepworth, Kirklees Museums & Galleries, Salford Museums & Galleries and The Mercer Gallery (Harrogate). A copy of "Herbert Whone, Glasgow - In Transition" (a 112 page illustrated hardback book) accompanies this lot.

 

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Sold for £4,900
Estimated at £4,000 - £8,000


 
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