group of paintings by acclaimed artist Joan Eardley is due to go under the hammer at an online auction this week on the centenary of her birth.
Images of children in Glasgow’s Townhead, still lifes, landscapes and a seascape are among seven works to be sold by Edinburgh-based Lyon & Turnbull on Thursday.
Eardley, who is currently the subject of a year-long celebration of her life and work to mark 100 years since her birth, died aged 42 in 1963.
A highlight of the sale is an “exceptionally” rare late still life of summer flowers painted by Eardley in the Aberdeenshire coastal village of Catterline.
All of the works in this sale demonstrated that she was an artist who deserves wide recognition, especially in her centenary year.
The oil painting, Jar of Summer Flowers, believed to have been painted in 1962, is estimated between £30,000 and £50,000.
Eardley, who had a studio in Cochrane Street, Glasgow, is renowned for her photos of city children, some of which also feature in the sale such as Children Playing in the Street, estimated at £4,000-6,000.
Nick Curnow, Head of Paintings at Lyon & Turnbull, said: “The works on sale this week represent each of the key areas of Eardley’s oeuvre and help tell the story of this extraordinary woman’s life.
“The Summer Flowerpot is an extraordinary painting when viewed up close. Only a very small group of Eardley’s still lifes exist, dating exclusively to a short period between 1961 and his death in August 1963.
“His oil paintings are extremely expressive. She was such a physical painter. You can see it in the layers of paint and the way she applied it.
“All of the works in this sale demonstrated that she is an artist who deserves wide recognition, especially in her centenary year.”
Born in Sussex in 1921 to a Scottish mother and an English father, Eardley was considered a member of Britain’s post-war avant-garde during her lifetime.
The selection of seven paintings also includes works that showcase his distinctive interpretation of land and sea around the village of Catterline.
The auction of Scottish paintings and sculptures will take place online at 2 p.m. on June 10.
