Graham Sutherland, O.M.

E.C. Gregory
Dorothy Morland, by 1961
Sale, Sotheby's, 4th December 1963, lot 174a
Marlborough Fine Art, London
Richard S. Zeisler Collection, New York
Bequest of the above in 2009

London, Hanover Gallery, Paintings by Graham Sutherland, 2nd June - 11th July 1948, cat. no.8;
London, Institute of Contemporary Arts, Graham Sutherland Retrospective Exhibition, 10th April - 5th May 1951, cat. no.36;
Berlin, British Council, Graham Sutherland Exhibition, September - October 1954, cat. no.21;
Leeds, Leeds City Art Gallery, Gregory Memorial Exhibition, 9th March - 10th April 1960, cat. no.35, illustrated frontispiece, with tour to Institute of Contemporary Arts, London;
London, Tate Gallery, Graham Sutherland, 19th May - 4th July 1982, cat. no.138, illustrated p.116 lent by Richard S. Zeisler.

Robert Melville, Graham Sutherland, Ambassador Editions, London, 1950, illustrated pl.46;
Douglas Cooper, The Work of Graham Sutherland, Lund Humphries, London, 1961, illustrated pl.96b;
Francesco Arcangeli, Graham Sutherland, Fratelli Fabbri Editori, Milan 1973, illustrated pl.72.

Original canvas. There are a few areas of craquelure, including to the left of the left hand gourd, one or two spots on the other gourds, and an area of paint separation near the centre of the left edge. The surface is dirty and will benefit from a light clean. Otherwise the work is in generally good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals areas of fluorescence behind the gourds, which appears to be pentimenti. There do not appear to be any areas of retouching. Held in a gilt plaster frame with a canvas inset. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 6424 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."

In 1947 Sutherland made his first visit to the South of France and was so struck by the Mediterranean climate he was to subsequently spend part of each year there, buying a house at Menton in 1955. The sunshine and warmth was a great attraction and the landscape was different from anything he had seen before in its type of vegetation and dryness. The move was also symptomatic of his ambition to transcend national boundaries and become an international artist, and he visited both Picasso and Matisse while there.

This Mediterranean climate brought new motifs to his work, such as vine pergolas, palm palisades and exotic fruit, and led to the brightening of his palette. His use of colour became increasingly liberated and his compositions more vibrant in character with large areas of bright colours. Still life with Gourds embodies these new trends: a hot yellow fills the background, evocative of the southern light and the gourds are boldly rendered, arranged on a stylised table. In this presentation, Still life with Gourds is one of a very few still lifes with a traditional compositional arrangement of objects placed on a table directly in the centre of the canvas. Sutherland began to move away from such classic treatments, seeking to recapture the mystery and psychological overtones of his earlier period, employing the angular, distorted and darker images with which one is more familiar. Still life with Gourds is therefore an insightful and important example of Sutherland's artistic development at this time and how a new southern environment influenced his outlook.