26th Feb, 2022 12:00 GMT/BST
Line, Colour and Form, A Private Collection
2107
Sydney Harpley (1927–1992)
"Girl on a Swing"
Signed, number 0/0 artist's proof from an edition of 12, bronze, 63cm high
Provenance: Duncalfe Galleries, Harrogate, 3/5/1989
Literature: This example has been acknowledged by Dr Chris Beetles and will appear in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné on Sydney Harpley.
Born in London in 1927, Sydney Harpley was a British sculptor known for his depictions of the solitary female form. Following National Service, he studied sculpture at Hammersmith School of Art from 1950-1953, before furthering his studies at the Royal College of Art under sculptor John Skeaping until 1956. During this time, he exhibited in the Young Contemporaries and the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, the beginning of his long career exhibiting nationally and internationally. He was made a Royal Academician in 1981.
From the late 1950s Harpley began receiving public commissions, which culminated in a commission for a life-size ‘Girl on a Swing’ for the Singapore Botanical Gardens in 1984. Since his early days at art college, it was the female form which intrigued Harpley the most as a sculptor, heavily influenced by Edgar Degas. Throughout his career he returned again and again to the solitary female, be it in the guise of a dancer, an acrobat or a girl on a swing. His first ‘Girl on a Swing’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in 1974, and bronzes by this important Neo-Romantic artist can be found in many national and international collections.
Sold for £7,000
Estimated at £5,000 - £7,000
Some light surface dirt. Otherwise in good overall condition.
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Auction: Line, Colour and Form, A Private Collection, 26th Feb, 2022
A Private Collection of mid to late 20th century paintings, prints, ceramics and sculpture are being sold in the single-owner sale Line, Colour and Form at Tennants Auctioneers on 26th February. Thoughtfully put together over the course of thirty years by collectors in the North East of England, the 125 lot collection is unified by a love of line, colour and form.
Each piece in the collection has been carefully selected, the discerning eye of the collectors’ choosing pieces on their artistic merit rather than by collecting particular artists. This has resulted in a disparate yet harmonious collection that includes works both by internationally celebrated artists such as David Hockney and lesser-known local artists.
Viewing
Thursday 24 February 10am-4pm, Friday 25 February 10am-5pm and morning of sale from 8am
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