La Plage, Étretat

Details

Sir Herbert James Gunn, R.A. (1893-1964)
La Plage, Étretat
signed 'H J Gunn' (lower left), signed again and inscribed 'Étretat/HJ Gunn' (on the reverse)
oil on board
14 x 18¼ in. (35.5 x 46.3 cm.)
Painted in 1914

Provenance

The artist's family.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

In spring 1914 Gunn travelled widely in Spain, Tangier and Gibraltar on the advice (and at the expense) of the London dealer W.B. Paterson, returning home via Paris and Étretat. The beach at Étretat was to provide the inspiration for several paintings; a similar composition La Plage, Étretat, 1914 (private collection) shows the same stretch of sand with more onlookers at the water's edge and swimming in the sea. It was at this time that the artist began to use the signature 'H.J. Gunn', as in the present work, in place of Herbert or simply H. Gunn.

More from 20th Century British Art

View All