Kenneth Armitage

Fairweather-Hardin Gallery, Chicago where acquired by the present owner circa 1960s

Chicago, Arts Club of Chicago, An Exhibition of Sculpture and Drawings by Young British Sculptors, 2nd -29th March, 1955 (another cast);
Rotterdam, Museum Boymans - Van Beuningen, Kenneth Armitage/ William Scott, 3rd ^- 30th June 1959, cat. no.6 (another cast);
London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Kenneth Armitage, July – August 1958, cat. no.14 (another cast);
Chicago, The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, From Blast to Pop: Aspects of Modern British Art, 1915-1965, cat. no.55, p.81 (another cast).

Marilyn Robb Trier, 'Art News from Chicago', Art News, May 1955, illustrated p. 10, pp. 10 and 58 (another cast);
Roland Penrose, Kenneth Armitage, Bodensee-Verlag, Amriswil 1960, pl.10 (another cast);
A.M. Hammacher, Modern English Sculpture, Thames & Hudson, London 1967, pl.120 (another cast);
Tamsyn Woollcombe (ed.), Kenneth Armitage Life and Work, Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, London, 1997, KA42.

Dirt has gathered in some of the crevices and there is plaster residue. There is a small spot of orange debris located on one of the figure's heads. Otherwise, the sculpture is in good overall condition. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Conceived in 1953 and cast in an intended edition of eight.

Establishing exact edition numbers for Armitage's sculpture in the early 1950s is notoriously difficult. However, the cast of the present work included in all of the early literature and exhibitions detailed here appears to be that belonging to Mr & Mrs Allan D. Emil of New York, important collectors who made many gifts to museums.

In the entry for Children by the Sea in his stock book, Armitage makes reference to eight casts of the sculpture. The entry notes that three went to Bertha Schaefer Gallery, New York, one directly to the collectors Mr and Mrs Allan Emil, and one to "Chicago" (possibly the present cast). 

We are grateful to Tamsyn Woollcombe for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.