Two paintings purchased at Cheffins Fine Art from the Hertfordshire County Council collection as recently as March have featured in an exhibition across the other side of the world.
The paintings are part of an exhibition of works by New Zealand’s leading expatriate artist Frances Hodgkins (1869-1947) at Jonathan Grant Galleries in Auckland, New Zealand, up until last month.
The paintings – Still Life with a Vase of Flowers and Eggs and Flowers and Spanish Pottery – were purchased by Jonathan Gooderham, managing director of Jonathan Grant Galleries, for £14,000 and £11,000 respectively at the sale of selected works from the council’s collection in March.
Hodgkins was born in New Zealand but spent most of her working life in Britain after leaving her homeland in her early thirties and it was during this period that her reputation as an artist rests.
The two paintings are still lifes which Hodgkins was most famous for along with landscapes, although for a short period she was also a textile designer.
Because of World War II, Hodgkins spent the rest of her life in Britain and continued to paint into her seventies, despite suffering from rheumatism and bronchitis.
When she died in Dorchester, Dorset, in 1947, she was regarded as one of Britain’s leading artists and her reputation in her homeland also soared.
Brett Tryner, associate at Cheffins Fine Art, said: “I was really pleased to see the catalogue of the exhibition sent to me by the gallery.
“This shows how international the art world truly is and testament to how popular Frances Hodgkins’ art is in New Zealand.
“We hope that many, many people enjoy the two paintings and it is great that the pictures have gone home and been displayed besides many other of her important works of art.”
To find out more about forthcoming sales click here.