Sir Robin Philipson, R.A., P.R.S.A., R.S.W.

London, Royal Academy of Arts, British Paintings 1952-1977, no. 148;
Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art, Robin Philipson Retrospective, 1989, no. 82

LEFT- The canvas is original. Very light craquelure to paint surface in places. Otherwise in good condition. Ultra violet light reveals no sign of retouching. Held in a simple gold painted frame with minor damage. Under glass. Unexamined out of frame. CENTRE- The canvas is original. Minor abrasions to the extreme edges and towards the centre. There is a spot of paint loss to the lower right hand edge and some further minor paint loss in the extreme lower right hand corner. Very light craquelure where the impasto is very thick. Some light surface dirt. Ultra violet light reveals no sign of retouching. Otherwise in good condition. Held in a simple gold painted frame with minor damage. Under glass, appears to be some tape visible to the upper left of the mount beneath the glass. Unexamined out of frame. RIGHT- The canvas is original. Very light craquelure to paint surface in places. Otherwise in good condition. Ultra violet light reveals no sign of retouching. Held in a simple gold painted frame with minor damage. Under glass. Unexamined out of frame.
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Philipson is widely regarded as one of the most innovative Scottish artists of the twentieth century and in his high profile role as President of the Royal Scottish Academy and Head of Edinburgh College of Art, he was a tireless ambassador for Scottish art. Zebra is an ambitious and striking work which displays all the elements of the artist's style and choice of subject matter. Animals including dogs, cockerels, cows, horses, baboons and zebras frequently feature in his paintings. His interest in the polarity of black and white and the decorative pattern they produce when juxtaposed naturally led him to the Zebra as a subject. In choosing to paint a triptych, Philipson emphasises the monumentality of his work, something which was frequently employed by the great old master painters of the Italian and Northern Renaissance.