Anthony Hill

The Artist
Austin/Desmond Fine Art, London, where acquired by the present owner in February 2008

London, Hayward Gallery, Anthony Hill, 20th May - 10th July 1983, cat. no.231, illustrated p.20, lent by the artist;
London, Austin/Desmond Fine Art, Anthony Hill: Works 1954-1982, 12th September - 10th October 2003, illustrated p.11.

Alastair Grieve, Constructed Abstract Art in England after the Second World War: A Neglected Avant-Garde, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2005, illustrated pl.246, p.184.

The board is sound and the work appears in good overall condition. There are 8 oval markings, which appear to be wooden plugs, that are inherent to the board. There are nail hole marks and nail heads about the edges and across the centre, which correspond to the cradle bar on the reverse, and the corners are uneven, all of which are inherent. There are some minor horizontal cracks about the edges, which correspond to the grain of the board. UV light reveals retouching to the nail heads and holes, to the edges of the oval plugs and other minor scattered flecks to isolated areas in the white pigment. Held in a simple white box frame; ready to hang. 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."

Hill first met Pasmore and Adams in 1949 whilst a student at the Central School, and he became by far the youngest of the group of artists who are known under the collective grouping of the Constructivists. By 1951, and at the age of just twenty-one, Hill was already in correspondence with Duchamp, Max Bill and Charles Biederman and was well aware of current Parisian trends.

His earliest works are remarkable in that unlike his elders, he was not moving from a realist position, his work having always been abstract, and the small corpus of surviving pieces demonstrate an extraordinary fluency of composition and a wonderful catholicity of choice in materials. Incorporating industrial and household paints, paper, fabric and other material collage, these works have a freshness that stands out at over half a century's distance and fully justify Alastair Grieve's observation that Hill's work 'was certainly unlike anything else being produced in England' (Alastair Grieve, op.cit., p.110).