Discover the best of Modern British art, from the Vorticist David Bomberg, the Modern early and mid-century masters including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and emerging post-war artists such as Ceri Richards and Frank Auerbach.

Auction Highlights

Towering at more than two metres tall, Sea Form (Atlantic) belongs to a spectacular series of large-scale bronzes which Barbara Hepworth produced in the late 1950s and 60s, invoking a powerful sense of the blending of human figure and landscape through a unified form.

Dame Barbara Hepworth, Sea Form (Atlantic)

The sale is populated by an impressive and diverse group of paintings by the nation's most beloved artist, L.S. Lowry. Lead by the masterpiece Going to Work from 1957, the group of works included in the sale range from typical industrial scenes depicting Lowry's renowned factories, chimneys and shop fronts, to intimate studies of family relations and single portraits.

Works by L.S. Lowry

The sale is led by this incredible depiction of Winston Churchill relates to the infamous commissioned portrait which was painted by Graham Sutherland in 1954 in honour of Churchill’s 80th birthday, and was later famously destroyed. The celebration of Churchill’s 80th birthday was a remarkable event, and in total he received 150,000 presents from all over the world. For their gift, the Houses of Parliament proposed a painting by Graham Sutherland. Notably, neither Churchill, nor his wife Clementine, were consulted about the commission, and Churchill was dissatisfied with the result, saying the portrait made him appear ‘half- witted’ and on its unveiling in a ceremony at Westminster Hall in November stating it was a ‘fine example of modern art,’ to peals of laughter from the crowd. Such was the dislike for the portrait that within two years of its return to Chartwell, it had been burned. The present work was painted during the sittings Sutherland had with Churchill at Chartwell for the commission. Sutherland and Churchill went back and forth about how he was to be depicted, and while Churchill was not an easy sitter, there was a mutual respect and friendship which developed between two fellow artists. The late, low sunshine in Churchill’s study at Chartwell on this day gives his skin a transparency, and the pose is also notably less direct than the final work, lending a charming intimacy and thoughtful vulnerability to the portrayal. This work is accompanied by Oscar Nemon's famed study for the sculpture of Churchill which stands outside parliament, and also by one of Winston Churchill's own paintings from his stay at the Villa Choisy in Switzerland banks of Lac Léman, which was owned by the banker M. Alfred Kern.

Winston Churchill

Delve into masterworks by the acclaimed Scottish Colourist artists, including works by Samuel Peploe and George Leslie Hunter. These examples demonstrate the famed still life genre that they were most renowned for, in addition to a beautiful Cassis Harbour scene in the south of France, which was an important place of inspiration to all members of the group.

Scottish Colourists

London

Deputy Chairman UK, Head of Modern British & Irish Art

André Zlattinger

Director, Head of Sale, Modern British and Irish Art

Director, Senior Specialist, Modern British & Irish Art

Jen Hardie

Director, Specialist, Modern British and Irish Art

Tamsin Golding Yee

Senior Director | Head of Sotheby's Ireland

Arabella Bishop

Meet our Specialists

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The Modern British &amp; Irish Art Evening Auction will bring together the highest-quality works in a tightly-curated offering on 6th June. It will demonstrate London's influence over the careers of key 20th century Modern British artists, from which, many works are emerging from long held private collections or are appearing at auction for the first time. This sale includes leading names such as L.S. Lowry, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore and Frank Auerbach amongst many others. At the same time, Sotheby's will be celebrating the Bicentenary anniversary of the National Gallery in London through a special loan exhibition, London: An Artistic Crossroads, where we will bring together 12 masterpieces from 12 distinguished UK institutions in an unprecedented hang across Sotheby's London.

Modern British and Irish Art Evening Auction