- 21
Edward Burra
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Edward Burra
- The Market
- stamped with signature
- pencil, ink, watercolour, gouache and wash
- 66.5 by 102cm.; 26¼ by 40¼in.
- Executed in 1949.
Provenance
Alex. Reid & Lefevre Ltd, London, where acquired by the present owner
Exhibited
London, The Fine Art Society, The Strawberry Thief, 29th September - 28th October 2011, un-numbered exhibiton.
Condition
The sheet is fully laid down to a backing board, with some extremely tiny, very minor handling marks visible to the extreme edge, not visible in the present frame.
There is an old possible repaired tear to the black hair of the woman in the centre foreground, only visible upon extremely close inspection, and not visible in the present frame. There is a line of surface matter surrounding the extreme edge, in-line with a possible 'bleed' from the red mount, and again not visible in the present framing. There is a tiny possible scratch to the arm of the woman in blue, in the lower right quadrant, but this excepting the work appears in excellent overall condition, with strong, vivid colours throughout.
Housed behind glass in a thick gilt frame, set within a red linen-textured mount.
Please contact the department on +44 (0) 207 293 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."
"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
Markets were for Burra sources of ample inspirational material- as he loved the mixing of all sorts and types of characters, wrapped up within a writhing crowd. The Market is a riotous celebration of urban energy, and this outstanding painting is filled with Burra’s typical unerring eye for detail, a testament to his shrewd observational skills and his acute visual memory. The viewer is immediately confronted by a range of eccentric personalities one might meet within such an urban sphere, from the greying slope shouldered woman who trudges home dead eyed with her purchases, to the fish seller who touts his wares and haggles animatedly over price, to the tiny baby whose face is twisted into a Munch like scream. There is a certain sense of claustrophobia, figures are packed on the street and underneath the market’s awnings, and one gets the sense that Burra revelled in this sort of confrontational atmosphere, an environment where one could not escape from interactions with these relatively peculiar individuals.
Clothes, hairstyles, and mannerisms were always features Burra noted closely, and in the foreground we see a very stylishly turned out swaggering young man, flaunting the distinctive high-waisted, pegged trousers and wide lapelled coat that were first worn during Harlem’s jazz scene in the 1930s. The zoot suit quickly became the bold uniform of choice particularly amongst Afro American, Mexican American, Caribbean and West Indian men eager to portray themselves at the cutting edge of music and fashion. With unerring sense for style and panache, Burra would have been thrilled to chance upon such a sharply attired young man. He had previously made a study of a group of so-called zooters on the insalubriously animated streets of Soho in Zoot Suits (1948, sold in these rooms, 15 June 2011). Zoot Suits was painted in 1948, the same year that the SS. Empire Windrush docked in Britain from Jamaica, bringing a post-war generation of men and women from the Caribbean to the U.K. and heralding a new era of British Cultural history. In celebrating the new arrivals, Zoot Suits and The Market undoubtedly recall Burra’s excitement on first visiting New York in 1933 when he was particularly drawn to the energy of the Harlem Renaissance and subsequently produced some of his most memorable work such as Harlem (1934, Tate, London) and Striptease (lot 13).
Certain elements of The Market, call to mind the works Burra produced in 1948 which were inspired by his travels around Ireland, such as Irish Street Scene (lot 22). Not only is the distinctive Guinness toucan visible on a tattered street poster in the background, there are also particular motifs which recur throughout this series, such as the focus on the crumbling 18th Century architecture, the palate dominated by shades of grey and brick red, and the cloaked woman who seems to wander through each of Burra’s Irish streets. The range of food stuffs on offer in the market, the fresh cabbages, potatoes, fish, vegetables, is certainly more than would have been available in Post-War London, and Burra commented on this surplus in his letters written to friends during his travels.
Clothes, hairstyles, and mannerisms were always features Burra noted closely, and in the foreground we see a very stylishly turned out swaggering young man, flaunting the distinctive high-waisted, pegged trousers and wide lapelled coat that were first worn during Harlem’s jazz scene in the 1930s. The zoot suit quickly became the bold uniform of choice particularly amongst Afro American, Mexican American, Caribbean and West Indian men eager to portray themselves at the cutting edge of music and fashion. With unerring sense for style and panache, Burra would have been thrilled to chance upon such a sharply attired young man. He had previously made a study of a group of so-called zooters on the insalubriously animated streets of Soho in Zoot Suits (1948, sold in these rooms, 15 June 2011). Zoot Suits was painted in 1948, the same year that the SS. Empire Windrush docked in Britain from Jamaica, bringing a post-war generation of men and women from the Caribbean to the U.K. and heralding a new era of British Cultural history. In celebrating the new arrivals, Zoot Suits and The Market undoubtedly recall Burra’s excitement on first visiting New York in 1933 when he was particularly drawn to the energy of the Harlem Renaissance and subsequently produced some of his most memorable work such as Harlem (1934, Tate, London) and Striptease (lot 13).
Certain elements of The Market, call to mind the works Burra produced in 1948 which were inspired by his travels around Ireland, such as Irish Street Scene (lot 22). Not only is the distinctive Guinness toucan visible on a tattered street poster in the background, there are also particular motifs which recur throughout this series, such as the focus on the crumbling 18th Century architecture, the palate dominated by shades of grey and brick red, and the cloaked woman who seems to wander through each of Burra’s Irish streets. The range of food stuffs on offer in the market, the fresh cabbages, potatoes, fish, vegetables, is certainly more than would have been available in Post-War London, and Burra commented on this surplus in his letters written to friends during his travels.