Art Market

Little-known artist tutored by Cedric Morris comes under the spotlight thanks to her portrait of him

A group of Modern and Impressionist pictures provided a significant boost to the latest Art & Design post 1880 sale held at Duke’s (25% buyer’s premium).

An auction record for Harry Becker (1865-1928) was set this autumn.

Works that come to auction directly from artists’ estates often have extra appeal due to a combination of factors.

Atmospheric views of London were the stock-in-trade of George Hyde Pownall (1866-1932).

The artist Samuel Fulton (1855-1941) painted portraits of people and horses but by far his favourite subject was dogs.

Stephen Ward (1912-63) will no doubt always be remembered as the man who introduced the model Christine Keeler to the politician John Profumo.

Small sky study sets a new high for works by the artist who was a great observer of nature

The textile works by Alighiero Boetti are instantly recognisable with their often geometric designs and brightly coloured embroidery.

Sotheby’s (26/20/13.9% buyer’s premium plus 1% overhead premium) staged three Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary auctions in Paris during the second half of October.

The most contested lot in Bonhams’ October 19 Expressionism: Germany, Austria and Beyond sale was a self-portrait by the German painter Hermann Lismann (1878-1943).

Among the works that caught the eye at a Mellors & Kirk (24% buyer’s premium) sale in Nottingham was a flower painting by Laurence Biddle (1888-1968).

The British artist Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017) is well known as both a painter and printmaker.

A raft of Modern and Contemporary art auctions were held in Paris in the second half of October coinciding with the Paris + par Art Basel fair held at the Grand Palais Ephemère.

On September 21 Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr (28/27/21/14.5% buyer’s premium) held a sale in Paris celebrating the decade of the 1980s.

An example from Frederick Edward McWilliam’s (1909-92) 'Women of Belfast' series is being offered at Halls’ auction in Shrewsbury on December 6.

Scenes of parks were a favourite topic of artist Doris Clare Zinkeisen (1897-1991) although most of those produced show figures or horses and carriages.

Konrad Klapheck, who died at the end of July aged 88, was a pioneer of German pop art and is credited with the invention of so-called Machine Paintings.

Jane Bond (b.1939), a costume designer for stage, television and films, started painting portraits especially from the early 1980s onward.

Many 20th century works are selling very healthily at mid-range price points