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Lot Essay
In March 1963 Hitchens celebrated his seventieth birthday. The Venice Biennale had ensured that he was an established figure on the international art scene.
His output showed no sign of decreasing and he approached his work with the same enthusiasm and energy that had characterised his earlier life. No detail escaped him or was too small for his attention. From the choosing of the motif and the preparation of the canvas to the framing of the finished paintings, he was involved at every stage.
Hitchens had changed his dealers from Leicester Galleries to Waddingtons in 1960 and was to remain with them until the end of his life, holding nine one-man shows over a period of twenty years. The present work was included in the retrospective exhibition held at Waddingtons in 1973.
His output showed no sign of decreasing and he approached his work with the same enthusiasm and energy that had characterised his earlier life. No detail escaped him or was too small for his attention. From the choosing of the motif and the preparation of the canvas to the framing of the finished paintings, he was involved at every stage.
Hitchens had changed his dealers from Leicester Galleries to Waddingtons in 1960 and was to remain with them until the end of his life, holding nine one-man shows over a period of twenty years. The present work was included in the retrospective exhibition held at Waddingtons in 1973.