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Lot Essay
After studying at Glasgow and Edinburgh Schools of Art, divided, like his near contemporary Sir Alfred Munnings, by time as a commercial artist, Gunn enrolled at the Academy Julien in Paris in 1911. It was here that he honed his skills at creating elegant and tonally-balanced cityscapes, often painted on small boards. Parallels can be drawn with the still-lives and downland landscapes of William Nicholson, whose associate James Pryde, Gunn painted to great acclaim in 1924, establishing him as a portrait painter of high regard.
Admiralty Arch from Pall Mall most probably dates from 1925 when the artist first took a permanent home in London and was still signing his pictures 'H J Gunn'. It comes from the collection of George Balfour (1872-1941), an important early patron of Gunn, whose portrait he painted in 1930. Balfour, with his business partner Andrew Beatty founded the eponymous multi-national construction company Balfour Beatty. Like Gunn, Balfour hailed from Scotland, but in 1918 became M.P. for Hampstead and remained so until his death in 1941.
Admiralty Arch from Pall Mall most probably dates from 1925 when the artist first took a permanent home in London and was still signing his pictures 'H J Gunn'. It comes from the collection of George Balfour (1872-1941), an important early patron of Gunn, whose portrait he painted in 1930. Balfour, with his business partner Andrew Beatty founded the eponymous multi-national construction company Balfour Beatty. Like Gunn, Balfour hailed from Scotland, but in 1918 became M.P. for Hampstead and remained so until his death in 1941.