30th Nov, 2021 14:00

Modern & Post-War British Art

 
  Lot 925 §
 

BERNARD FLEETWOOD-WALKER (1892/93-1965)

BERNARD FLEETWOOD-WALKER (1892/93-1965)
The Toilette
signed B.FLEETWOOD WALKER (lower left)
oil on canvas
125 x 91 cm (49 1/4 x 35 3/4 in)

PROVENANCE:
Sale, Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 13 November 2018, lot 108, where purchased by the present owner

EXHIBITED:
Possibly, London, Royal Academy, 1930, no. 265
London, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 1936, no. 493
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, B. Fleetwood Walker Memorial Exhibition, 1965, no 87

LITERATURE:
The Royal Academy Illustrated, Water Judd, London, 1936, illustrated, p. 106

The Toilette reflects an early example of Bernard Fleetwood-Walker’s oeuvre and echoes elements of his over-arching neo-classical style. While the work most notably reflects motifs from the oil painting and drawing of the Study for the Maidens executed in 1932 and 1933 respectively, the work also echoes the historic iconography of Susannah and the Elders. Utilising his trademark style of harsh shadow contrasted with soft and blended brush strokes, The Toilette is an exemplar representation of Fleetwood-Walker’s mastery of the human figure.

Born in Birmingham, Fleetwood-Walker was a British artist who initially trained in silver and goldsmithing before pursuing his studies at the Birmingham School of Art and Craft. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1925 and is most widely recognised for his portraiture and figurative works. Though the majority of his works can be found in private collections, a number of his 1930s works exist in UK public collections. This can perhaps be explained through Fleetwood-Walker’s solo exhibition at the Ruskin Gallery, Birmingham in 1927 which was subsequently followed by his more successful and wide ranging showcases taking place at various art societies.

These successes saw his simultaneous election as an Associate of the Royal Academy and to the Royal Watercolour Society in 1946, followed by President of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1950, and then finally as a Royal Academician in 1956. Alongside, he was also made a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the New English Art Club while achieving bronze and silver awards at the Paris Salon.

Sold for £11,875

Includes Buyer's Premium


 

Do you have an item similar to the item above? If so please click the link below to submit a free online valuation request through our website.

 

Images*

Drag and drop .jpg images here to upload, or click here to select images.