Wonderful collection of important Modern British Art coming up for sale

At Henry Adams Fine Art Auctioneers we have a wonderful collection of rare and important Modern British Art coming up for sale in our auction on Friday 20th June. It will be held in our magnificent 17th century saleroom, Baffins Hall, in the heart of Chichester and reach a global audience through our fully illustrated online catalogue and online bidding platforms.

Some of the highlights are a group of works by the enigmatic Robert Oscar Lenkiewicz (British, 1941-2002). He first came to public attention when the media highlighted his giant mural man on Plymouth's Barbican in the 1970s. 

Another furore occurred in 1981 when he faked his own death in preparation for the forthcoming project of paintings on the theme of death (1982). "I could not know what it was like to be dead," said the artist, "but I could discover what it was like to be thought dead." He received a major retrospective in 1997 at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, attended by 42,000 visitors.

Since his death, examples of his best paintings have fetched ever-rising prices in London auction rooms, and the rise in Lenkiewicz's popularity was shown in a 2008 auction of his personal collection of his own works - the auction of his paintings and library raised £2.1 million.

Another important artist represented in this collection is Peter Howson OBE (British, b.1958). He has established a formidable reputation as one of his generation's leading figurative painters and he is renowned for his penetrating insight into the human condition and his heroic portrayals of the mighty and meek. His art is described by Robert Heller as "founded in humanity, especially the human face."  

In 1992 he was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to record the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. He was also appointed official British war artist for Bosnia in 1993 and in 1996 was awarded Doctor of Letters Honoras Causa, University of Strathclyde. His work is represented in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Tate Gallery, London; the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the British Museum, London; Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow; and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh.

Other important artists represented in this auction are Brian Shields 'Braaq' FBA (British, 1951-1997), Alan Lowndes (British, 1921 - 1978), Ken Howard OBE RA (British, 1932-2022), William Crosbie RSA RGI (Scottish, 1915 - 1999), Mary Fedden OBE RA RWA (British,1915-2012) and Sandra Blow RA (British, 1925-2006).

View the online catalogue here.