Lot 52

Works by Zdzislaw Ruszkowski from the Tom Laughton Collection Ruszkowski's friendship with Tom Laughton, owner of the Royal Hotel, Scarborough and brother of the Hollywood actor Charles Laughton, began in 1952 when Laughton bought two paintings from his exhibition at the Roland, Browse & Delbanco gallery. Laughton wrote 'we became friends, almost collaborators. I collected his work and did what I could to further his interests over a period of twenty years ... His paintings gradually took over the wall space of the modern section of the collection ... I usually had at the back of my mind the wish to give our customers pleasure. But in the case of Ruszkowski the dominant thought was my own interest and appreciation' (T. Laughton, Pavilions by the Sea, London, 1977). Admired and rated highly by Eric Newton, Herbert Read, Quintin Bell, Lawrence Alloway among others, he had two almost Renaissance style patrons in Tom Laughton and Maurice Ash, later joined by Michael Simonow who wrote 'Ruszkowski's painting cannot be ignored, and it is only a question of time before his work receives the recognition and appreciation it deserves' (M. Simonow, The Paintings by Ruszkowski, London, 1982). For further reading see Art in Exile - Polish Painters in Post-War Britain by Douglas Hall, 2008. We are very grateful to Anna Peebles for her help cataloguing lots 52-61.

Zdzislaw Ruszkowski (1907-1991)

Spanish Family

Details

Zdzislaw Ruszkowski (1907-1991)
Spanish Family
signed 'Ruszkowski' (lower left)
oil on canvas
40 x 65 in. (101.6 x 165.1 cm.)

Provenance

Tom Laughton.
Robert Luff, Scarborough, from whom purchased by the present owner.

Literature

M. Simonow, Ruszkowski, A Catalogue Raisonné of his Paintings, London, 1987, p. 128, no. 224, illustrated.

Exhibited

Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, The John Moores Liverpool Exhibition, November 1957 - January 1958, no. 1982.
Leeds, Leeds City Art Gallery, Retrospective Exhibition of Zdzislaw Ruszkowski, October - November 1966, no. 36.

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Lot Essay

Michael Simonow comments that 'Ruszkowski was asked by Tom Laughton to paint a large canvas as a central piece for the dining room at the Royal Hotel, Scarborough. His visit to Spain was still fresh in his memory and he selected this subject from sketches he had made' (see M. Simonow, Ruszkowski, London, 1987, p. 128).

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