- 158
Leon Kossoff
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Leon Kossoff
- Head of John Lessore
- charcoal and pastel on paper
- 77 by 56.5cm.; 30¼ by 22¼in.
- Executed in 1996.
Provenance
Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York and Annely Juda Fine Art, London
L.A. Louver, California
Private Collection, U.S.A.
L.A. Louver, California
Private Collection, U.S.A.
Exhibited
New York, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Leon Kossoff, 11th April - 20th May 2000, cat. no.40, illustrated, with tour to Annely Juda Fine Art, London.
Condition
Unexamined out of frame.
The works is framed within a double-sided frame, with the extreme edges not visible.
There is slight cockling to the sheet, with pin holes visible in the top centre and top left quadrants. There are signs of the artist's handling and workings, including to a 10cm. tear to the centre of the extreme left hand edge, visible upon close inspection and in keeping with the nature of the artist's workings. This excepting the work appears in excellent overall condition, with strong, fresh passages of charcoal throughout.
Housed in a thick dark wooden frame, set within a cream-card mount. Unexamined out of frame.
Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 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 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."
Catalogue Note
The present work is double-sided, with an alternative portrait study of the sitter on the reverse.
The richly expressive present work depicts Kossoff's close friend John Lessore, who has been sitting for the artist for over forty years. From a distinguished art world family- Lessore’s uncle was Walter Sickert, his father Frederick was a sculptor who founded the Beaux Arts Gallery, and his mother Helen was the highly influential gallerist who ran Beaux Arts following her husband’s death in 1951, giving Kossoff, Frank Auerbach and Francis Bacon (amongst others) their start. John Lessore is himself an artist. He studied at the Slade from the age of 17, and later took up a teaching position at the Royal Academy Schools. His works can be found in such notable collections as the Tate, the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
Lessore, like all Kossoff's models, spent long hours diligently sitting for the artist in his studio, as Kossoff’s portraits are rooted in close observation and in his faith to drawing from life. Kossoff discovered a life drawing class whilst a young man in East London. This chance happening fuelled his increasing interest in working from the human figure and he began producing single figure portraits in the 1950s. While his chosen models are neither grand nor recognizable beyond the artist's own personal reference, Kossoff's family and close friends' perhaps ordinary countenances become remarkable through the artist's ability to push beyond conventional representation. They combine Kossoff's evident warmth towards the sitter with the gestural excitement of creation, thereby conveying to the viewer the artist's deep awareness of, and immediate personal response to, the individual portrayed. The present portrait is a particularly excellent display of Kossoff’s superb skills as a draughtsman: the bold strokes extenuate the figure’s strong features; the splashes of vivid pastel enliven the surface; and the areas of rubbing and re-working add to the animated nature of the piece.
The richly expressive present work depicts Kossoff's close friend John Lessore, who has been sitting for the artist for over forty years. From a distinguished art world family- Lessore’s uncle was Walter Sickert, his father Frederick was a sculptor who founded the Beaux Arts Gallery, and his mother Helen was the highly influential gallerist who ran Beaux Arts following her husband’s death in 1951, giving Kossoff, Frank Auerbach and Francis Bacon (amongst others) their start. John Lessore is himself an artist. He studied at the Slade from the age of 17, and later took up a teaching position at the Royal Academy Schools. His works can be found in such notable collections as the Tate, the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
Lessore, like all Kossoff's models, spent long hours diligently sitting for the artist in his studio, as Kossoff’s portraits are rooted in close observation and in his faith to drawing from life. Kossoff discovered a life drawing class whilst a young man in East London. This chance happening fuelled his increasing interest in working from the human figure and he began producing single figure portraits in the 1950s. While his chosen models are neither grand nor recognizable beyond the artist's own personal reference, Kossoff's family and close friends' perhaps ordinary countenances become remarkable through the artist's ability to push beyond conventional representation. They combine Kossoff's evident warmth towards the sitter with the gestural excitement of creation, thereby conveying to the viewer the artist's deep awareness of, and immediate personal response to, the individual portrayed. The present portrait is a particularly excellent display of Kossoff’s superb skills as a draughtsman: the bold strokes extenuate the figure’s strong features; the splashes of vivid pastel enliven the surface; and the areas of rubbing and re-working add to the animated nature of the piece.