Patrick Heron

Waddington Galleries, London, where acquired by the present owner, 20th November 1990

London, Waddington Galleries, Patrick Heron, 28th February - 23rd March 1963, cat. no.12;
Edinburgh, Hume Tower, Paintings by Patrick Heron and Bryn Wynter, 30th August - 11th September 1965. cat. no.7, illustrated;
Richard Demarco Inaugural Exhibition, (exh. cat.), August 1966, illustrated p.24.

Original canvas. The canvas appears sound. There is a very slight undulation to the canvas in all four corners, only visible upon close inspection. There are one or two extremely minor points of frame abrasion at the extreme edges, with some light scuffs along the extreme right and lower edges. There is a small area of craquelure to the red pigment near the centre of the right edge, which appears to be lifting slightly. There is a small spot of surface matter near the centre of the lower edge. There appears to be a very light bloom on some of the green pigments. Subject to the above, the work appears to be in very good overall condition. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals sensitive small flecks of restoration at all four corners, as well as in places along the edges. There are scattered flecks of fluorescence in the upper left quadrant, some of which appear to be retouching. There are a further few flecks to the aforementioned area of craquelure. The work is float mounted and held in a simple white painted wood frame. Please telephone 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."

The Estate of Patrick Heron is preparing the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the Artist's work and would like to hear from owners of any works by Patrick Heron, so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue. Please write to The Estate of Patrick Heron c/o Modern & Post-War British Art, Sotheby's, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, W1A 2AA or email modbrit@sothebys.com

'The only rule I follow while painting is this: I always allow my hand to surprise me (the line of all the frontiers in my recent paintings are drawn-in in a matter of a few seconds): also, I always follow impulse – for instance in the choice of colours; deliberation is fruitless. But this does not mean that every act connected with the painting of the picture is not deliberate: it is' (Patrick Heron, ‘Colour in my Painting: 1969’, Studio International, December 1969, cited in Vivien Knight, ‘Patrick Heron’, John Taylor in association with Lund Humphries, London, 1988, p.34).