A rare two-sided painting by renowned East Anglian artist Cedric Morris has sold at auction for more than double its estimated value.
The artwork, which had never been available on the open market before, fetched an impressive £162,500 at Cheffins auction house in Cambridge, highlighting Morris’s enduring popularity among collectors and institutions.
Morris (1889-1982), a celebrated painter and founder of the East Anglian School of Painting & Drawing, originally created the piece in the 1930s before gifting it to his student, Bettina Shaw-Lawrence.
The oil on canvas featured a vibrant floral landscape on one side, while the reverse depicted a rustic Welsh cottage. The painting was sold to a London-based bidder on Thursday following strong interest from private buyers and institutions worldwide.
Cheffins auctioneers noted the significance of the painting’s provenance, emphasizing that its direct link to Morris added to its appeal. Brett Tryner, a director at Cheffins, described the sale as a major success and a testament to Morris’s lasting reputation in the art world.
“An excellent result and a testament to Morris’s continued popularity”
“This is an excellent result and demonstrates Morris’s continued popularity as one of the most sought-after artists in the post-modern era,” Tryner said.
“The painting’s enviable provenance, having been gifted directly by Morris to Bettina Shaw-Lawrence, helped to ensure serious pre-sale interest, with inquiries from both private buyers and institutions across the globe.”
The painting’s uniqueness was further underscored by the dual compositions, showcasing two distinct yet complementary scenes from Morris’s career.
“Perfectly demonstrating the period in Morris’s career when he produced some of his most wonderful still-life pictures, this painting was unusual to have firstly been fresh-to-market, but also to have another view painted on the reverse,” Tryner added.
An Artist’s Legacy and Influence
Cedric Morris was known not only for his distinctive painting style but also for his role as an influential teacher. He co-founded the East Anglian School of Painting & Drawing with fellow painter Arthur Lett-Haines, first in Dedham, Essex, before relocating to Benton End, near Hadleigh in Suffolk, following a fire.
The school became a hub for budding artists, and notable pupils included Aldeburgh Scallop sculptor Maggi Hambling.
Shaw-Lawrence, to whom Morris gifted the artwork, was an accomplished artist in her own right. She studied under the renowned French painter Fernand Léger in 1938 and gained recognition for her work in figurative and landscape painting. The painting was consigned to Cheffins for auction by the Shaw-Lawrence family.
This auction follows a previous sale of another Morris artwork that had been gifted to fellow artist Lucy Harwood. The continued demand for Morris’s works reinforces his significant standing in British art history, with collectors eager to acquire pieces from his celebrated career.
With this latest sale, Cedric Morris’s legacy as an artist and educator remains firmly cemented, proving that his work continues to captivate art enthusiasts and collectors alike.
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