John Craxton, R.A.

Gifted by the Artist to Olivier Larronde and thence by descent to the previous owner

Not examined out of the frame. The sheet appears to be laid down onto a supporting board. The sheet is very slightly cockled along the right hand edge. There is some discolouration to the sheet, particularly along the upper and lower edges. There is also some light surface dirt and stain in areas of the sheet. Subject to the above the work appears to be in good and stable condition and the pigments are very strong. The work is float mounted and presented in a black frame. 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."

We are grateful to Ian Collins for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

Following the war, John Craxton travelled to Europe in 1946 and met a number of influential and significant figures.

Early in 1946, at the time he executed this drawing, Craxton went to Paris, funded by Peter Watson, the arts editor and financier of Horizon. Here he met, for the first time, Picasso, Giacometti and Dora Maar in a Catalan restaurant, finally meeting the former via the art dealer Peter Loeb and then later, with Lucian Freud. Peter Watson was a friend of the poet Olivier Larronde and it is likely that it was during this trip that Craxton first met Larronde. 1946 ended with the promise of a joint show for Craxton and Lucian Freud at the London Gallery in 1947. The success of which would lead onto a solo show at the same gallery in 1949.

Olivier Larronde was an influential French poet whose poems were published in the collections, Les Barricades Mystérieuses (1946) Nothing Here About, illustrated by Giacometti (1959) and The Tree Letters (1966) which was published posthumously. Often compared to Rimbaud, Larronde led a bohemian life, with his companion and muse, the editor, Jean-Pierre Lacloche who he met in 1945. In the early 1940s they travelled in Egypt and North Africa, were befriended by Christian Bérard, Jean Cocteau, Jean Genet and were made welcome in the sophisticated salons of Marie-Louise Bousquet, Marie-Laure de Noailles and Louise de Vilmorin. Larronde, suffering the onset of epilepsy turned to opium as a therapy and died tragically in 1965, at the age of 38. He was awarded the French Prize of Literature a few weeks after his death.