Sir Gerald Festus Kelly, K.C.V.O., P.R.A., R.H.A. (1879-1972)

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's… Read more

Whilst in Paris in 1905 Gerald Kelly fell in love with a young dancer, with whom he lived in Montmartre. When she left him in 1908 Kelly was devastated, and at the suggestion of his friend Somerset Maugham he decided to travel to Burma inspired by some photographs he had admired of Burmese dancers. Maugham gave him £50 to finance the expedition, and in late summer 1908 Kelly set sail. On the boat over he met an Old Etonian who was being posted to Mandalay as District Judge, and with whom Kelly stayed for the majority of his trip. From November 1908 to April 1909 Kelly remained in Burma, industriously painting a large number of landscapes and studies of Burmese dancers. He loved Mandalay and wrote ‘Try and imagine how beautiful it was. A square mile surrounded by high, cosy brick walls and sunrise and sunset all over it. And how sweet the women and children were…’ The majority of the pictures by Gerald Kelly in this collection date from his Burmese period, although there are a number painted on his 1936-7 tour of Cambodia and China.

Sir Gerald Festus Kelly, K.C.V.O., P.R.A., R.H.A. (1879-1972)

Sûn VI

Details

Sir Gerald Festus Kelly, K.C.V.O., P.R.A., R.H.A. (1879-1972)
Sûn VI
oil on canvas
32½ x 27 in. (82.7 x 68.6 cm.)

Provenance

The contents of the Studio of the late Sir Gerald Kelly, K.C.V.O., P.R.A., R.H.A.; Christie's, London, 8 February 1980, lot 209.

Exhibited

London, Royal Academy, 1940, no. 195.
Brighton, Brighton Gallery & Museum, 1940.

Special notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Sale room notice

Please note the images for lot 172 and lot 173 have been transposed in the printed catalogue. Please refer to the images online.
Please note that the medium should read oil on canvas and not as stated in the printed catalogue.

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