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A number of remarkable Scottish Colourist paintings will come home to Bonhams Scotland to be offered in the Scottish Art Sale in Edinburgh on October 9.
The paintings, sourced in the US and Europe by Bonhams global network, will include works by George Leslie Hunter and Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell. Leading the sale is an exceptional work by Samuel John Peploe titled Luxembourg Gardens, Paris with an estimate of £70,000-100,000.
The sale also showcases an amazing discovery of a still life painting by George Leslie Hunter hidden on the reverse of a portrait he painted of the Scottish author, John Ressich.
May Matthews, Managing Director of Bonhams Scotland and Head of the Scottish Picture Department commented: “We are delighted to have these works returning to Edinburgh. The Scottish Colourists are among Scotland’s most cherished artists and breathed new life into Scottish painting. The sale has some exquisite works by all four artists and the discovery of a hidden still life by Hunter is all the more remarkable. We expect considerable interest.”
The Scottish Colourists were a group of artists, hailing from Edinburgh and the Isle of Bute, whose Post-Impressionist work came to have a formative influence on contemporary Scottish art and culture. The four artists, Francis Cadell, John Duncan Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter and Samuel Peploe, were all prolific painters, spanning the turn of the twentieth century until the beginnings of World War II. Having spent time in France, their style was greatly influenced by the work of the French Impressionists and Fauve painters, which they skilfully combined with the painting traditions of Scotland, to create works with bold use of colour and a vibrant, confident tone.
Luxembourg Gardens by Samuel John Peploe, largely recognised as the leading figure of the group, clearly shows the influence of the Fauves with its raw expressionism and vivid palette. Luxembourg Gardens and its habitués provided popular subjects for both Peploe and Fegusson who both lived nearby.
Works returning to Scotland from the US and Europe respectively include two striking still lifes by George Leslie Hunter and two evocative landscapes of the Hebridean island of Iona by Francis Cadell. Cadell, the youngest of the Colourists, found inspiration in the island’s strong light, natural beauty and expansive views.
- George Leslie Hunter (Scottish, 1877-1931), Still life with Fruit and Flowers, 1923, oil on board. Estimate: £60,000-80,000
- George Leslie Hunter (Scottish, 1877-1931), The Ginger Jar. Estimate: £40,000-60,000
- Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (British,1883-1937), Iona, oil on panel Estimate: £40,000-60,000
- Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (British, 1883-1937), The House by the sea, Sound of Iona. Estimate: £25,000-35,000.
