4
§ GERTRUDE HERMES (BRITISH 1901-1983)
In The Art Edit
TWO CHRISTMAS CARDS
Hand and Aconites, Wood engraving, inscribed inside âbest love from us 3 to you both. Hope all goes well.' and printed âGreetings for Christmas and the New Year from Gertrude Hermes. Change of address: 65 Black Lion Lane, W6â;Heaven and Hell, Wood engraving, with printed message inside âAll good wishes for Christmas and the New Year, from Dick and Naomi Mitchison. River Court, Hammersmith Hall, London, W.6', further printed with excerpt of The Rebel by Hilaire Belloc (2)
the image 13cm x 9.5cm (5in x 3.75in); 13.25cm x 14cm (5.25in x 5.5in), each unframed
From the Estate of William McCance.
The Art Edit is delighted to present paintings, drawings and prints by William McCance and his circle. The collection includes a portrait of McCanceâs first wife Agnes Miller Parker (1895â1980), cards printed and inscribed by artist friends, and designs produced during McCanceâs tenure as Controller of the Gregynog Press. All works come from the Artistâs Estate and have never before appeared on the market.Like any modernist worth his salt, William McCance sought to document twentieth century industrial life. His subject is often domestic, but is realised using a vorticist schematisation which promotes underlying geometric volumes. Thus, organic forms assume an almost mechanised quality: a human figure is transformed into a strange automaton; a grove of trees is delineated as if it were a cluster of factory pipes.McCance moved to London in 1920 with Agnes Miller Parker, where they were amongst the earliest Scots to adopt a Wyndham Lewis-inspired vorticism. Their mutual inclination towards line and pattern lent itself well to the graphic arts; Miller Parker was a talented wood engraver and illustrator, while McCance worked across painting, printmaking, design, sculpture, writing and typography.In 1930 McCance became second Controller of the Gregynog Press, a significant private press in Montgomeryshire, Wales. The Press flourished under his stewardship, and he oversaw the production of several exquisite limited edition publications.Gregynog was unique at the time in that publications were printed, typset, illustrated and bound under one roof. McCance and Miller Parker contributed designs and engravings, as did the artists Gertrude Hermes (1901â1983) and Blair Hughes Stanton (1902-1981), who was also employed at the Press in a directorial capacity. However, owing to fraught relations with the owners of the Press, McCance resigned after three years.By 1943 McCance was lecturer in Typography and Book Production at the University of Reading. The few works from this later period held in public collection indicate a preoccupation with the Venus of Laussel, the c.25,000 year old limestone figure of a female nude discovered in 1911 in a rock shelter in the Dordogne. McCance likely encountered the Venus during a visit to the region after the Second World War, and nude figures with smooth simplified curves inspired by the Venus recurred within his work hereon. McCance parted ways with Miller Parker in 1955, and by 1960 he had retired to Scotland. He died in Ayrshire in 1970.
TWO CHRISTMAS CARDS
Hand and Aconites, Wood engraving, inscribed inside âbest love from us 3 to you both. Hope all goes well.' and printed âGreetings for Christmas and the New Year from Gertrude Hermes. Change of address: 65 Black Lion Lane, W6â;Heaven and Hell, Wood engraving, with printed message inside âAll good wishes for Christmas and the New Year, from Dick and Naomi Mitchison. River Court, Hammersmith Hall, London, W.6', further printed with excerpt of The Rebel by Hilaire Belloc (2)
the image 13cm x 9.5cm (5in x 3.75in); 13.25cm x 14cm (5.25in x 5.5in), each unframed
From the Estate of William McCance.
The Art Edit is delighted to present paintings, drawings and prints by William McCance and his circle. The collection includes a portrait of McCanceâs first wife Agnes Miller Parker (1895â1980), cards printed and inscribed by artist friends, and designs produced during McCanceâs tenure as Controller of the Gregynog Press. All works come from the Artistâs Estate and have never before appeared on the market.Like any modernist worth his salt, William McCance sought to document twentieth century industrial life. His subject is often domestic, but is realised using a vorticist schematisation which promotes underlying geometric volumes. Thus, organic forms assume an almost mechanised quality: a human figure is transformed into a strange automaton; a grove of trees is delineated as if it were a cluster of factory pipes.McCance moved to London in 1920 with Agnes Miller Parker, where they were amongst the earliest Scots to adopt a Wyndham Lewis-inspired vorticism. Their mutual inclination towards line and pattern lent itself well to the graphic arts; Miller Parker was a talented wood engraver and illustrator, while McCance worked across painting, printmaking, design, sculpture, writing and typography.In 1930 McCance became second Controller of the Gregynog Press, a significant private press in Montgomeryshire, Wales. The Press flourished under his stewardship, and he oversaw the production of several exquisite limited edition publications.Gregynog was unique at the time in that publications were printed, typset, illustrated and bound under one roof. McCance and Miller Parker contributed designs and engravings, as did the artists Gertrude Hermes (1901â1983) and Blair Hughes Stanton (1902-1981), who was also employed at the Press in a directorial capacity. However, owing to fraught relations with the owners of the Press, McCance resigned after three years.By 1943 McCance was lecturer in Typography and Book Production at the University of Reading. The few works from this later period held in public collection indicate a preoccupation with the Venus of Laussel, the c.25,000 year old limestone figure of a female nude discovered in 1911 in a rock shelter in the Dordogne. McCance likely encountered the Venus during a visit to the region after the Second World War, and nude figures with smooth simplified curves inspired by the Venus recurred within his work hereon. McCance parted ways with Miller Parker in 1955, and by 1960 he had retired to Scotland. He died in Ayrshire in 1970.
The Art Edit
Sale Date(s)
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PURCHASE COLLECTIONS FROM THE ART EDIT (SALE 812)
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Important Information
A ÂŁ6,500 spend limit has been applied to this auction. Bidders intending on spending above this amount will need to provide photo identification to have the spend limit removed. To help manage this, you will be asked to confirm your projected spend as part of the auction registration process. You may receive a request to provide photo ID. We ask that you provide this at your earliest convenience on request, to ensure you are free to bid above the ÂŁ6,500 spend limit on sale day . Please note it is Lyon and Turnbullâs discretion to ask for identification â you will be also asked to provide this if you have no bidding history.
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BUYER'S PREMIUM
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UK - Conditions Of Sale For Buyers
These Conditions of Sale and the Saleroom Notices as well as specific Catalogue terms, set out the terms on which we offer the Lots listed in this Catalogue for sale. By registering to bid and/or by bidding at auction You agree to these terms, we recommend that You read them carefully before doing so. You will find a list of definitions and a glossary at the end providing explanations for the meanings of the words and expressions used.
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