Clarabella

Details

John Cecil Stephenson (1889-1965)
Clarabella
signed and inscribed 'CECIL STEPHENSON 6 MALL STUDIOS/HAMPSTEAD NW3' (on the stretcher) and signed again and inscribed again 'CECIL STEPHENSON/EGG TEMPERA' (on the reverse)
tempera on canvas laid on board
32¼ x 24 in. (81.9 x 61 cm.)
Painted in 1950.

Provenance

with Galleria Milano, Milan.

Literature

S. Guthrie, The Life and Art of John Cecil Stephenson, Cumbria, 1977, p. 106.

Exhibited

London, Fischer Fine Art, Cecil Stephenson 1889-1965: Paintings, Gouaches and Drawings 1932-1957, October - November 1976, no. 16, as 'Painting'.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Born in Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, John Cecil Stephenson studied at Darlington Technical College (1906 - 08), Leeds School of Art (1908 - 14), Royal College of Art (1914 - 18), and the Slade (1918). In 1919 he he took on Sickert's studio in Hampstead where he was later joined by Herbert Read, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. In 1934 he exhibited with the 7 & 5 Society along with Ben Nicholson, Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore and John Piper. A major contributor to the Festival of Britain (30 pictures), he suffered three strokes in 1958 leaving him tragically paralysed.

More from The Poetry of Crisis; The Peter Nahum Collection of British Surrealist and Avant-Garde Art 1930-1951

View All