Keith Vaughan

Acquired directly from the Artist by the late owner

The sheet is sound and has been fully laid down on card. There is a vertical line in the lower left quadrant- which appears to be an old repaired tear. There is a very small abrasion to the bottom edge of the sheet, with a tiny spot of resultant loss. There is over painting in the upper corners to old tape marks, which appears to be the hand of the artist. There is light fading to the background colours, made apparent by the extreme edges of the sheet. There are a few specks of studio detritus but otherwise the work is in very good overall condition. The work is held in a painted wood frame with a canvas inset behind glass. Please contact the department on (+44) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present lot.
"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."

We are grateful to Gerard Hastings for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

For much of the war Vaughan was stationed at Eden Camp, near Malton, in Yorkshire. Army life precluded him setting up a functioning studio in his barracks and, as a consequence, he was unable to work with canvas and oils. Instead he produced a series of small, intense gouaches combined with various mixed media, including wax crayons and Indian ink. He recorded daily life in the army, the landscape around him and occasionally the activities of the local farmers and fruit-pickers. Frequently school boys and young children feature in his compositions often accompanied by older figures, as in the present work (Yorkshire Lane with Figures, 1945, Orchard Scene with Boys Wrestling, 1945, Man and Child on the Moors, 1946). It is interesting to note that Vaughan’s father left the family when he was very young and he, as the eldest son, assumed the paternal role. 

Gerard Hastings.

This painting was given as a gift directly from Vaughan to his friend, and fellow artist, Bernard Perlin. Perlin was an American artist who died earlier this year at the age of 95. Over a period of seven decades, he created a variety of works, ranging from war propaganda posters and drawings of New York streets to Italian landscapes. He was born to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. Following advice from one of his high school art teachers, his parents enrolled him at the New York School of Design. He later painted murals for the U.S. Treasury Department and the Naval Maritime Commission. He initially worked for the U.S. government designing propaganda posters, before becoming a writer-artist for magazines such as Life and Fortune, during World War II. From 1948-54 he lived in Italy, before moving back to New York briefly and then Connecticut.  His works are held in many of the worlds leading collections including MoMA.