John Walker

John Golding
Private Collection, UK

London, Royal Academy of Arts, British Art in the Twentieth Century, 15th January - 5th April 1987, cat. no.276, illustrated in the catalogue.

The original canvas is sound. There are faint stretcher marks around all four edges. A very small area of the canvas has frayed by the edge of the lower left quadrant and there is some very minor surface abrasion along the edge of the lower right quadrant. There is some surface dirt otherwise it is in good overall condition. At an earlier stage, an object was leant againt the painting which led to some distortion of the canvas in the black square, which was successfully restored in 2009. At the same time, the heavier blocks of colour were cleaned. A full report of the restoration the painting underwent is available from the department. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding 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."

John Walker was born in Birmingham in 1939 and studied at the Birmingham College of Art from 1955-1960. He continued his studies at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris between 1961 and 1963. His early paintings were figurative until he was exposed to American post-war abstract painters. Dividing his time throughout the 1970s between the United States and England teaching at Cooper Union in New York, Yale University and the Royal College of Art, London, his paintings turned to abstract expressionism and involve dramatic renderings of space and surface. In 1979 he took up a residency in Australia and was appointed Dean of Melbourne's College of Arts in 1982. He returned to America in 1989, teaching at Yale University and Boston University before settling in Bedford, Massachusetts.