Works by Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris (1889-1982), artist and plantsman, who, along with Arthur Lett-Haines, founded The East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in Dedham, Suffolk, in 1937, are justifiably having a resurgence in the auction world. Prices for his works have increased dramatically in the past decade. But how did it all begin, and why is Cedric Morris and other members of the Benton End group now seeing such a reawakening?
Cedric Morris - View of the outbuildings at Benton End; the reverse painted with a floral still life – estimate - £10,000 - £15,000 - available at The Art & Design Sale on 23rd February.
Although Cedric Morris was much hailed during his lifetime as one of the country’s leading artists, following his death in 1982, his work fell quite significantly out of favour. With little activity in the auction market, his avant-garde paintings were left out in the cold, as contemporary tastes turned against the types of works he produced. Back in the early 2000s, his paintings were selling for low to mid thousands.
However, this all changed, and now Cedric Morris is one of the most sought-after Modern British painters. Arguably, the tide began to turn in around 2016, when three of his paintings were sold as part of David Bowie’s estate. This helped to bring Morris back into the public eye, and this was backed up by the Garden Museum hosting an exhibition of his work in 2018, the first in over thirty years, and another exhibition hosted by dealer Philip Mould, Beyond the Garden Wall, who has long been a Morris fan, and promoted his love of his work during his ‘Art in Isolation’ series during lockdown.
This created a tidal wave of interest in Cedric Morris and in 2022, Sotheby’s sold a painting for £226,800, over 10 times its estimate. In the same year, Erdem presented a menswear collection inspired by Morris’s palette and the First Site Gallery’s highly acclaimed Life with Art exhibition commemorated works by the Benton End Group. This has created a perfect storm around Benton End, with the house and garden itself set to be reopened to the public, a long-running project which is still in progress.
The East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing moved to Benton End in 1939 following a fire at the Dedham school. It bred art, creativity and conversation throughout the years and has a romantic, almost mythical association for many fans of early 20th century British art. Benton End, much like Charleston, produced several prolific artists, including Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling. And much like the Bloomsbury Group, it was formed as a sanctuary for like-minded artists, poets, gardeners and writers.
Like Cedric Morris, other Benton End artists have also seen an increase in value. As works by Morris skyrockets in value, prices for works by his student, Lucy Harwood are following suit. Paintings by her could be purchased for a few hundred pounds a decade ago, whilst a still life from a London collection sold at Cheffins for £6,500 in 2022.
Lucy Harwood, Still Life with Daisies and Grapes - sold for £6,500 (hammer) at Cheffins in February 2022
In general, paintings from the Benton End Group have a wonderfully figurative feel and this, coupled with a bright palette, has really helped their works to appeal to contemporary tastes.
The painting by Cedric Morris which will be offered as part of The Art & Design Sale, on 23rd February, depicts the outbuildings at Benton End as they were during Morris’s tenure, with a still life to the reverse. The piece was gifted to Lucy Harwood by Morris during her years at the school, and it is coming to auction by descent of the family. The piece demonstrates both Morris’s confident handling of paint and his compositional mastery. It has an estimate of £10,000 – 15,000.
For more information on Cheffins’ sales of works by the Benton End Group, please contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343 or email fine.art@cheffins.co.uk
To view the full calendar of sales for 2023, please click here.