- 144
Peter Howson
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Peter Howson
- Hotel Imperial - The Last Tigers
- signed l.l.: HOWSON
- oil on canvas
- 152.5 by 214 cm.; 60 by 84ΒΌ in.
Provenance
Flowers East, London;
Private Collection
Literature
Robert Heller, Peter Howson, Momentum, London, 2003, illus. p. 203
Condition
Original canvas. The work appears in excellent original condition with strong areas of impasto throughout.
Ultarviolet light reveals pigments which flouresce but these appear to be the hand of the artist.
Unframed.
Please contact the department on 0207 293 6132 if you have any queries about the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Peter Howson travelled to India in 1999 with a party that included the animal painter Nicola Hicks who was also represented by The Flowers Gallery. Howson was feeling particularly unsettled at the time and relished the prospect of the trip: 'This time I was desperate to get away, to be away all the time.' (quoted in Robert Heller, Peter Howson, 2003) The intention was to paint tigers at the Bandhavgarh reserve. Unfortunately the expedition was beset with difficulty from the outset; fog meant that they landed in Bombay and had to travel overland to New Delhi. Hicks, who had been suffering from cough prior to departure, soon developed pneumonia. Howson, who admits 'I always think about myself' seemed to be the only one taking her condition seriously '...everyone else seemd to be more interested in their work.' (ibid) Through a mixture of bribery and persuasion he managed to get her to a hotel where she was seen by a Doctor and recovered sufficiently to travel home.
These were hardly ideal conditions for Howson to paint, yet he absorbed enough of the environment to paint a number of works following his return, of which the present is undoubtedly the most important. An apocalyptic, surreal vision, on a monumental scale is played out as a group of Tigers are surrounded and hunted down by men with clubs and guns. Although the animals are fighting to protect themselves, the vast approaching army to the left of the composition means they will inevitably be overwhelmed. Evoking a sense of the gladiatorial contest, a group of people sit around a table, calmly observing the carnage. This group, who take tea while being waited on and entertained by tabla players, are predominantly white with one man wearing a pith helmet. These elements combine to evoke a strong sense of Britain's colonial past and oppression. The hellish furnace, with its chimney belching out smoke, suggests the inexorable rise of industry and, with the wizzened leafless trees, its devastation of the landscape.
In a broader sense, the work can be seen as a metaphor for the artist's personal battles against addiction. He described the year 2000 as 'probabaly one of the worst years of my life, actually...I was taking an enormous amount of drugs at the time, and of all types.' (ibid) It is a testament to his extraordinary ability that, at such a dark time in his life, he was still able to produce works of such power.
These were hardly ideal conditions for Howson to paint, yet he absorbed enough of the environment to paint a number of works following his return, of which the present is undoubtedly the most important. An apocalyptic, surreal vision, on a monumental scale is played out as a group of Tigers are surrounded and hunted down by men with clubs and guns. Although the animals are fighting to protect themselves, the vast approaching army to the left of the composition means they will inevitably be overwhelmed. Evoking a sense of the gladiatorial contest, a group of people sit around a table, calmly observing the carnage. This group, who take tea while being waited on and entertained by tabla players, are predominantly white with one man wearing a pith helmet. These elements combine to evoke a strong sense of Britain's colonial past and oppression. The hellish furnace, with its chimney belching out smoke, suggests the inexorable rise of industry and, with the wizzened leafless trees, its devastation of the landscape.
In a broader sense, the work can be seen as a metaphor for the artist's personal battles against addiction. He described the year 2000 as 'probabaly one of the worst years of my life, actually...I was taking an enormous amount of drugs at the time, and of all types.' (ibid) It is a testament to his extraordinary ability that, at such a dark time in his life, he was still able to produce works of such power.