Lot 159
SIR JOHN LAVERY R.A., R.S.A., R.H.A. (IRISH 1856-1941)
MGM STUDIOS
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Evening Sale | Lots 109 to 207 | Thursday 04 December 2025 from 6pm
Description
Signed, oil on canvas
Dimensions
51cm x 61 cm (20in x 24in)
Provenance
By descent from the Artist to the present owner
Footnote
Following the death of his daughter, Eileen, Lady Sempill, in July 1935, Lavery’s grand-daughter, Ann Forbes-Sempill, came to stay with him at 5 Cromwell Place in Kensington. Then in her mid-teens, Ann’s chat and that of her friends centred around the latest Hollywood movies (indeed, Lady Sempill told the present writer that in those days she was an avid Gary Cooper fan). So fascinated was the artist that, as his eightieth birthday approached, he decided to see the studios for himself, with a view, perhaps, of painting the stars. When he arrived in January 1936 at the MGM lot, the Leslie Howard/Moira Shearer production of Romeo and Juliet was underway and although he managed four quick oil sketches, he quickly realised that so swiftly were sets thrown up, lit, shot and dismantled, that the chaotic environment tested even his abilities (see Kenneth McConkey, John Lavery, A Painter and his World, Atelier Books, Edinburgh, 2010, pp.198-200).
The present example, produced in a matter of minutes, in the midst of the throng, is one from this series. Others include the garden and death scenes from the play (see Kenneth McConkey, Lavery on Location, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 2023, pp. 10-11 for the MGM garden set). Here we see something more informal, possibly from another production, as players congregate for a moment’s respite between scenes.
We are grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for writing this catalogue entry.