Keith Vaughan

The Matthiesen Gallery, London, 1962
Private Collection, U.S.A.
Sale, Skinner's Boston, 21st May 2010, lot 561
Robin Katz Fine Art, London, where acquired by the present owner in 2010

London, Whitechapel Gallery, Keith Vaughan, May - April 1962, cat. no.13;
London, Matthiesen Gallery, Keith Vaughan. Paintings and Drawings. 1937-1962, 10th May - 2nd June 1962, cat. no.19, illustrated.

Unexamined out of frame. The work appears at least partially adhered to a backing support, with very slightly unevenly cut edges visible upon close inspection, and very slight cockling apparent to the sheet, and a very minor resultant crease in the top right corner. There are some tiny, very minor signs of possible light discolouration to the un-painted areas of the white sheet, most visible to the body, and only upon extremely close inspection. This excepting the work appears in excellent overall condition. Housed behind glass in a thin, dark wooden frame, set within a dark brown card mount. Unexamined out of frame. Please contact 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."

We are grateful to Gerard Hastings for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

The young man at his desk is in the process of making a drawing. He looks up as if for inspiration, perhaps into a mirror, but more likely towards an image of a muse. Echoes of the ancient Greek myth of Pygmalion come to mind; there is a sense of longing for the unattainable. We might be forgiven for interpreting the young artist as a quasi self-portrait. At the time Vaughan painted this, his journals inform us that he had found companionship, intellectual stimulus and a genuine sense of camaraderie among his fellow members of the Non-Combatant Corps. He attached himself emotionally, over the course of the war, to various barrack mates but was unable to locate the intimacy or human affection he craved. One year before he had been separated, due to army transfers, from a young, married soldier named Bill Greest, who had been the object of his unrequited affection and fixation three years. Vaughan cherished his memory for the rest of his life, even writing of him in his final volume of journals over thirty years later.

Gerard Hastings.