Norman Blamey sketch for Luton area church mural to be sold by auction

Showing the enthroned Christ on one side and an Anglican priest and choirboy on the other side, the 66 x 43 cm oil on panel with pencil is believed to date to 1956 and valued at between £2,000 and £4,000.

The sketch will be sold in Halls Fine Art’s modern and contemporary art auction in Shrewsbury on July 9.

The work was in the collection of Gwynneth Holt (1909-1995) and her husband Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones (1908-1968) and is now owned by a family member.

A typed copy of a letter from Blamey to Gwynneth is attached to the back. In the letter, he says he was pleased when she bought the sketch. “It is always gratifying when fellow artists appreciate ones work enough to buy it,” he wrote.

Noted latterly for his portraits and depictions of church ritual, Blamey exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and became an associate in 1970, an academician in 1975 and thereafter a visiting lecturer at the Academy School.

Halls Fine Art’s paintings specialist, Abigail Molenaar, is encouraging art collection owners to consider selling some of their works whilst prices are buoyant.

She is also advising owners to ensure that their art collection’s insurance valuation is updated to safeguard against a potential loss or damage.

Her timely advice follows a series of successful auctions of single owner art collections at Halls Fine Art in the last couple of years.

A collection owned by late West Midlands surgeon Magdi Latif Obeid, comprising 350 paintings, prints and sculptures, sold for more than £100,000 and a collection of works from a North West England gallery closure made in excess of £55,000 last year

In addition, specialist art collections of early 19th century watercolours from Shrewsbury and Hereford have sold for nearly £50,000 each and individual artworks have also attracted international interest.

Earlier this year, a watercolour titled ‘Red Blooming Cacti’ by German-Danish artist Emil Nolde (1867-1956) sold for £29,000 and a bronze sculpture by celebrated Irish artist Frederick Edward McWilliam sold for £37,000 in 2023.

“The market for quality paintings and sculpture is as strong as ever and we have had some notable successes selling single owner art collections,” said Abigail. “It’s no longer the case that quality works need to be sold in London to attract international buyers and achieve the best prices.

“Our online sales platforms attract a global audience to our auctions where artworks achieve excellent prices. Modern and contemporary art and bronzes are selling particularly well.

“I would love to be able to sell watercolours from the ‘Golden Age’ of English watercolour, circa 1750-1850 and more single owner art collections. It’s always such a pleasure to handle collections which have been put together from a sheer love of art and of collecting.

“Even if owners don’t wish to sell their art collections at present, it’s essential that their insurance valuations are up-to-date. The last thing they would want, in the unfortunate event of their collection being lost or damaged, is to be under-insured.”

Anybody wishing to consign paintings, prints or sculpture to Halls Fine Art’s forthcoming auctions, or seeking a professional valuation of a collection or individual work, is asked to contact Abigail on Tel: 01743 450700 opt 3 or email: [email protected] .