William Gear

Acquired by Wilfrid A. Evill April 1953 for £55.0.0, by whom bequeathed to Honor Frost in 1963

Hampstead, The Home of Wilfrid A. Evill, Contemporary Art Society, Catalogue of the Greater Portion of a Collection of Modern English Paintings, Water Colours, Drawings and Sculpture Belonging to W. A. Evill, March 1955, cat. no.69 (as Formal Roots);
London, The Home of Wilfrid A. Evill, Contemporary Art Society, Pictures, Drawings, Water Colours and Sculpture, April - May 1961, (part III- section 4), cat. no.1 (as Tree Forms);
Brighton, Brighton Art Gallery, The Wilfrid Evill Memorial Exhibition, June - August 1965, cat. no.40 (as Tree Forms).

The colours, particularly the red tones, are much brighter and richer than indicated in the printed catalogue. Original canvas. There is some minor frame abrasion to the right and lower edges. The surface is inherently pitted and uneven. There is a small spot of minor craquelure to one of the tree branches in the upper left quadrant and another to the white pigment upper right. There are one or two tiny nicks to a few of the raised edges, only visible upon very close inspection. The surface has recently been cleaned and generally the work is in good original condition. Ultraviolet light reveals pigments which fluoresce but these appear to be the hand of the artist. Held in a stained wood frame with a canvas inset. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 6424 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."

One of the most abstract paintings within the collection, Gear's Formal Trunks at first sight appears to stand a little outside the main taste exhibited across its fellows. However, its presence should remind us of a notable incident that indicates how conservative the general artistic taste of the British public was in the early 1950s.

Having worked in Europe in the late 1940s and been very much part of the CoBrA group, Gear was one of the younger generation of British artists who had genuine experience of contemporary art circles across the Channel. Invited to exhibit as part of the 60 for '51 exhibition at the Festival of Britain in 1951, Gear was awarded one of the five Arts Council Purchase prizes for his Autumn Landscape of 1950 (Newcastle, Laing Art Gallery). Although the painting now appears to be only moderately abstracted, it became the centre of a debate on the use of public funds for the purchase of 'unsuitable art', with many letters to the newspapers and even questions asked in Parliament. This of course led to Gear being, wrongly, seen in the public mind as one of the most extreme exponents of abstraction in Britain.

As a leading figure in the Contemporary Art Society, one wonders therefore if Evill's purchase of a work by Gear, apparently a departure from his usual collecting area, was in part a vote of confidence in Gear and the newer wave of British artists.