91% of the 81 lots were sold, with works selling to bidders both on UK sale and overseas.
Having been consigned for auction by the Great Nephew of Edith Lawrence - Claude Flight's partner- the latest instalment from the family arrived at Tennants wrapped in brown paper and had been tucked away in folios since their execution. The collection consists of many important examples of lino cut prints, watercolours, illustrations, and even some original lino cut blocks, which all remained in vibrant colour and good condition. With impeccable provenance to boot, they went on to perform to their full advantage selling to national and international buyers.
The top price was secured for Lill Tschudi's highly stylized rendition Boats at £8 500 with several of the works by Australian print maker Dorrit Black following closely behind at £7 000 for Corner of the Garden.
While still a celebration of rhythm, movement and speed, the Grosvenor School linocuts produced by Flight and his contemporaries are less austere depictions of modern life and a more optimistic reaction to the end of WWI.
This sale took place after Tennants Summer Fine Art Sale on 22nd & 23rd July which achieved a result even more impressive than the Modern print sale. The two day auction had a 93% sale rate and totalled £415 860, not inclusive of buyer's premium.
Celebrated North West artist Helen Bradley's Blackpool Beach was the shining star of the sale, selling for an incredible £80 000 against an estimate of £15 000-25 000.
The work had not been seen on the market until now, with eyes from the trade and private buyers alike on it. Bradley's result at Tennants just places the piece into the top five highest prices achieved at auction for the artist. Another pair of oils by Bradley originating from the same source Ah Dear Emily and Oh Just Look also created a bidding storm and finally sold with a hammer price of £33 000.
As well as Bradley, other artists from the North West performed strongly. Arthur Delaney's Tram Stop and Tall Mills sold for £7 500 and two early works dated 1972 by Geoffrey Key“Pendleton Salford and Pendleton Church realised £4 200 each.
A tranche of five examples from various vendors, by Yorkshire based artist Brian Shields (Braaq) also commanded competitive bidding with a top price for Canal Scene III at £14,000. A further highlight from the Modern and Contemporary art section included a charming rendition by ever popular artist Dorothea Sharp Playmates at £15 000.
