Lot 133
KEN HOWARD R.A., O.B.E. (BRITISH B. 1932) §
LIFE CLASS AT SOUTH BOLTON GARDENS
Scottish Contemporary & Post-War Art
Auction: 25 August 2011 at 10:00 BST
Description
Signed, and inscribed verso, oil on canvas
Dimensions
180cm x 88cm (70in x 34.5in)
Footnote
Provenance:Garvey Collection
Often described as a modern-day Impressionist, Ken Howard's paintings are exquisitely executed studies of light in all its forms, whether that of a warm southern sun dappling the walls of Venetian palazzi as the lagoon laps at their feet, or the cool afternoon light bathing his London studio, as
in this picture. Here we observe the artist at work at South Bolton Gardens, a studio now rich in artistic history, having previously hosted the artist Sir William Orpen. While the strong linear focus and grey-white tones of the painting might immediately evoke the work of Whistler, in its delight in details such as light glittering on the glass implements of his profession, the quiet stillness of this interior scene hints at an artistic heritage stretching back to the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Born in London in 1932, upon completing his national service, Howard studied at the Royal
College of Art, before winning a British Council scholarship to travel to Florence in 1958. After numerous solo exhibitions, in 1979 he was
appointed by the Imperial War Museum as an official artist in Northern Ireland, and travelled widely with the British Army from 1973 to 1982. He has been elected a member of the New English Art Club in 1962, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 1966, the Royal Society of Painters in
Watercolours in 1979, the Royal West of England Academy in 1981, Honorary Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1988, Royal
Academician in 1991 and President of the New English Art Club in 1998. Awarded the OBE in 2010, Howard's work is included in several public
collections, including the Guildhall Art Gallery and the Imperial War Museum.