MICHAEL ANDREWS | Portrait of Victor Willing at the Seaside

Marlborough Fine Art Ltd, London
Barbara Lloyd
Private Collection, UK
Sale, Bonhams London, 17th March 2010, lot 50, where acquired by the present owner

London, Hayward Gallery, Michael Andrews, 31st October 1980 - 11th January 1981, cat. no.65, illustrated p.63, where lent by Barbara Lloyd (as Study of Head for a Group of Figures), with tour to Fruit Market Gallery, Edinburgh and Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester;
London, Tate, Michael Andrews, 19th July - 7th October 2001, cat. no.26, illustrated p.92 (as Study of a Head for a Group of Figures No 7). 

The board appears sound. There are two very small nicks to the extreme right edge, one at each of the extreme lower corners, and a small number of smaller nicks to the extreme upper edge, with one or two possible further, older instances elsewhere, none of which are visible in the present frame. There is a possible rub at the left edge at centre and isolated area of fine lines of reticulation in the lower right quadrant to the green pigment. There are one or two instances of minor accretions and studio matter on the surface with some light surface dust. This excepting, the work appears to be in very good overall condition. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals fluorescence and probable retouching in two isolated instances in the upper left and lower right quadrant. The work is held in a gilt painted wooden frame behind glass. 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."

‘All true appreciations of people are bound to be blurred…Finding a bit here, a bit there, it’s all approximate. Everything is ‘more or less’ in my opinion’ (Michael Andrews, quoted in William Feaver and Paul Moorhouse, Michael Andrews, London, Tate Publishing, 2001, exh. cat., p.14). The present work depicts Victor Willing, a fellow class-mate of Michael Andrews at the Slade. It was painted whilst on a holiday when Victor Willing placed his head in a face-in-hole board and Andrews caught the moment in this work.

It is a study for the model in the left panel of the triptych Good and Bad at Games (1964-8) now in the collection of the National Museum of Australia. This work was the last of a series of works known as ‘the party paintings’ which explored how people affect each other's behaviour. Good and Bad at Games depicts the psychology of social interaction at parties - the triptych shows the party at three moments during which the varied moods of the subjects are depicted. Some figures, such as Victor Willing grow in confidence whilst others diminish. The work was influenced by a photograph of a group of Giacometti sculptures on the Arts Council Private View Card for the 1967 Tate Exhibition.