William Roberts, R.A.

Acquired directly from the Artist by Wilfrid A. Evill April 1942 for £25.0.0, by whom bequeathed to Honor Frost in 1963

British Council, Allied Institutes, 1943 (details untraced);
London, The Home of Wilfrid A. Evill, Contemporary Art Society, Pictures, Drawings, Water Colours and Sculpture, April - May 1961, (part III- section 2) cat. no.17 (as The Artist and His Wife);
Brighton, Brighton Art Gallery, The Wilfrid Evill Memorial Exhibition, June - August 1965, cat. no.159 (as The Artist and His Wife);
London, Tate Gallery, William Roberts ARA Retrospective Exhibition, 20th November - 19th December 1965, cat. no.174, with Arts Council Tour to Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne and Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester;
London, Anthony d'Offay, William Roberts, Drawings and Watercolours, 28th November - 19th December 1980, cat. no.31.

Studio, 1943, v.126, p. 42

The sheet has not been laid down but is adhered to the mount by tape along the edges. The sheet undulates very slightly about the edges. The sheet has slightly discoloured. Otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. Contained in a cream mount with a wooden frame under glass. Please telephone the department on 0207 293 6424 if you have any questions 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.
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According to the 1965 Tate Gallery Catalogue the present work is 'a satire on lady artists and their husbands. William Roberts does not remember exactly when this was done but thinks that it probably dates from the early years of the war. He still owns a smaller and slightly less finished study for it in watercolour; he also made yet another watercolour of an intermediate size before embarking on this, the final version.' (William Roberts ARA Retrospective Exhibition, p.28)

The smaller watercolour study for this work was exhibited at the Albemarle Gallery, London (1989), and was illustrated in the exhibition catalogue (p.26).

We are grateful to David Cleall for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.