Anthony Benjamin, British 1931-2002 - The Book of the Dead Part II: Egyptian Art in the Nagasaki Age; pencil on paper, 51 x 61 cm (unframed) (ARR) Provenance: with Gimpel Fils, London, GF16934 Note: the artist began his career first amongst the many Modern Artists in St. Ives, where he was encouraged to exhibit by Peter Lanyon, and later in Paris, studying at the Stanley William Hayter's highly influential Aterlier 17 studio in the late 1950s. He exhibited internationally from the 1960s, including at Gimpel Fils, London and Tate St Ives in 1999
λ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002)UNTITLED (ABSTRACT RED & BLACK)Oil on velvet Signed and dated 1966 (verso)31.5 x 31.5cm (12¼ x 12¼ in.)Provenance: New Vision Centre Gallery, LondonPrivate Collection, Denis Bowen (1921-2006)Exhibited:Jarrow, Bede Gallery, New Vision 55-66, 1984, no. 39
Anthony Benjamin, British 1931-2002 - Untitled; pencil on paper, 42 x 59.5 cm (unframed) (ARR) Provenance: with Gimpel Fils, London, GF17131; private collection Note: the artist began his career first amongst the many Modern Artists in St. Ives, where he was encouraged to exhibit by Peter Lanyon, and later in Paris, studying at the Stanley William Hayter's highly influential Aterlier 17 studio in the late 1950s. He exhibited internationally from the 1960s, including at Gimpel Fils, London and Tate St Ives in 1999
Anthony Benjamin, British 1931-2002 - Abstract studies, 1964; pastel, gouache and pencil on paper, signed and dated lower right 'Benjamin 64 May', 57 x 80.2 cm (ARR) Provenance: with Reginald Hill (d.2017), owner of Reille Gallery, London (label attached to the reverse); private collection, gifted by the above Note: the artist began his career first amongst the many Modern Artists in St. Ives, where he was encouraged to exhibit by Peter Lanyon, and later in Paris, studying at the Stanley William Hayter's highly influential Aterlier 17 studio in the late 1950s. He exhibited internationally from the 1960s, including at Gimpel Fils, London and Tate St Ives in 1999
Anthony Benjamin FSRE RE, British 1931-2002, Untitled, 1965: screenprint in colours on wove, signed, dated and numbered '2/3' in pencil, sheet: 56 x 68.5 cm, (framed) (ARR)
§ Anthony Benjamin (British 1931-2002) District II, 1968 stamped, dated and numbered BENJAMIN 1968 1/5, chromed steel and acrylic (30cm high x 30.5cm wide x 22.5cm deep (11 3/4in high x 12in wide x 8 7/8in deep)) Provenance Gimpel Fils, London. Exhibited Comsky Gallery, Beverly Hills, 1971. A Journey from Social Realism to Abstract Expressionism: Works from the Estate of Anthony Benjamin Few artists successfully span both Modern and Contemporary periods in British art whilst moving between multiple mediums. Anthony Benjamin (1931-2022) was one such polymath working in painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture in wood, metal and plastic. Benjamin wrote that, for him, ‘an idea is more important to a man than any physical object’, in the catalogue for his 1966 exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Chris Stevens, then curator of modern British art and Head of Displays at Tate Britain, described Benjamin as ‘an anarchist who ignored trends and forged his own path’. A bit of a loner and a bit of a thinker, Benjamin was quick to accept opportunities to work in new spaces, learning from the best. It was in Paris in the late 50’s, at Atelier 17 with William Stanley Hayter, that he experimented with new forms of painting, moving away from the landscape abstraction of St Ives. However, a constant in his practice was a precision of line, an incomparable quality of execution and an intense understanding of colour and form. Benjamin thought as he made and his thinking was always one-step ahead of the rest. It was during the 1970s, in collaboration with leading printer Kevin Harris at Calvert Studio, that Benjamin produced his seminal series of screenprints Roxy Bias Suite. Inspired by his student Brian Eno, Benjamin was fascinated by the new electronic music Eno was composing. Each of the six images in the series was named after computer music terms such as Inverse Echo and Multi-Mode Jitter. The screenprints use outrageously clashing bold colours, almost as if electrified and challenge the viewer with uncompromising energy. Sumptuous pieces, they were both of the time but also way-ahead of their time. No matter what Benjamin turned his hand to the results were always perfectly executed. In the 1990s he returned to drawing with a solo show at Gimpel Fils in London. Large scale works, they are more paintings in graphite than drawings. Involving a complex range of techniques of masking and erasure, of painting with graphite dust as well as drawing with broad pencils, these works incorporate texture and atmosphere, geometric forms, polar whites and intense blacks. They are some of the most powerfully evocative images that Benjamin produced. Throughout his career Benjamin held teaching posts at a variety of colleges of art and universities including time spent in the USA and Canada as Professor of Art at the University of Calgary and Hayward State College in California. His work is now held in a great number of international public collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain, the Tate, UK and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
§ Anthony Benjamin (British 1931-2002) Roxy Bias Suite, 1972 complete set of six, comprising Butterfly Echo, Erase Function, Inverse Echo, Multi-Mode Jitter, O Factor and Ringing Filter, each signed, titled, dated and numbered 59/95 in pencil (in the margin), silkscreen on BFK Rives handmade paper, printed by Kevin Harris at Calvert Studio (each sheet 105.5cm x 76.5cm (41 1/2in x 30 1/8in)) Qty: (6) Provenance The Estate of the Artist. A Journey from Social Realism to Abstract Expressionism: Works from the Estate of Anthony Benjamin Few artists successfully span both Modern and Contemporary periods in British art whilst moving between multiple mediums. Anthony Benjamin (1931-2022) was one such polymath working in painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture in wood, metal and plastic. Benjamin wrote that, for him, ‘an idea is more important to a man than any physical object’, in the catalogue for his 1966 exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Chris Stevens, then curator of modern British art and Head of Displays at Tate Britain, described Benjamin as ‘an anarchist who ignored trends and forged his own path’. A bit of a loner and a bit of a thinker, Benjamin was quick to accept opportunities to work in new spaces, learning from the best. It was in Paris in the late 50’s, at Atelier 17 with William Stanley Hayter, that he experimented with new forms of painting, moving away from the landscape abstraction of St Ives. However, a constant in his practice was a precision of line, an incomparable quality of execution and an intense understanding of colour and form. Benjamin thought as he made and his thinking was always one-step ahead of the rest. It was during the 1970s, in collaboration with leading printer Kevin Harris at Calvert Studio, that Benjamin produced his seminal series of screenprints Roxy Bias Suite. Inspired by his student Brian Eno, Benjamin was fascinated by the new electronic music Eno was composing. Each of the six images in the series was named after computer music terms such as Inverse Echo and Multi-Mode Jitter. The screenprints use outrageously clashing bold colours, almost as if electrified and challenge the viewer with uncompromising energy. Sumptuous pieces, they were both of the time but also way-ahead of their time. No matter what Benjamin turned his hand to the results were always perfectly executed. In the 1990s he returned to drawing with a solo show at Gimpel Fils in London. Large scale works, they are more paintings in graphite than drawings. Involving a complex range of techniques of masking and erasure, of painting with graphite dust as well as drawing with broad pencils, these works incorporate texture and atmosphere, geometric forms, polar whites and intense blacks. They are some of the most powerfully evocative images that Benjamin produced. Throughout his career Benjamin held teaching posts at a variety of colleges of art and universities including time spent in the USA and Canada as Professor of Art at the University of Calgary and Hayward State College in California. His work is now held in a great number of international public collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain, the Tate, UK and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
§ Anthony Benjamin (British 1931-2002) Untitled, circa 1958 oil and watercolour on paper (55cm x 76cm (21 5/8in x 29 7/8in)) Provenance The Estate of the Artist. A Journey from Social Realism to Abstract Expressionism: Works from the Estate of Anthony Benjamin Few artists successfully span both Modern and Contemporary periods in British art whilst moving between multiple mediums. Anthony Benjamin (1931-2022) was one such polymath working in painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture in wood, metal and plastic. Benjamin wrote that, for him, ‘an idea is more important to a man than any physical object’, in the catalogue for his 1966 exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Chris Stevens, then curator of modern British art and Head of Displays at Tate Britain, described Benjamin as ‘an anarchist who ignored trends and forged his own path’. A bit of a loner and a bit of a thinker, Benjamin was quick to accept opportunities to work in new spaces, learning from the best. It was in Paris in the late 50’s, at Atelier 17 with William Stanley Hayter, that he experimented with new forms of painting, moving away from the landscape abstraction of St Ives. However, a constant in his practice was a precision of line, an incomparable quality of execution and an intense understanding of colour and form. Benjamin thought as he made and his thinking was always one-step ahead of the rest. It was during the 1970s, in collaboration with leading printer Kevin Harris at Calvert Studio, that Benjamin produced his seminal series of screenprints Roxy Bias Suite. Inspired by his student Brian Eno, Benjamin was fascinated by the new electronic music Eno was composing. Each of the six images in the series was named after computer music terms such as Inverse Echo and Multi-Mode Jitter. The screenprints use outrageously clashing bold colours, almost as if electrified and challenge the viewer with uncompromising energy. Sumptuous pieces, they were both of the time but also way-ahead of their time. No matter what Benjamin turned his hand to the results were always perfectly executed. In the 1990s he returned to drawing with a solo show at Gimpel Fils in London. Large scale works, they are more paintings in graphite than drawings. Involving a complex range of techniques of masking and erasure, of painting with graphite dust as well as drawing with broad pencils, these works incorporate texture and atmosphere, geometric forms, polar whites and intense blacks. They are some of the most powerfully evocative images that Benjamin produced. Throughout his career Benjamin held teaching posts at a variety of colleges of art and universities including time spent in the USA and Canada as Professor of Art at the University of Calgary and Hayward State College in California. His work is now held in a great number of international public collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain, the Tate, UK and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
§ Anthony Benjamin (British 1931-2002) Untitled, 1958 signed and dated in pencil (lower right), oil and watercolour on paper (90cm x 58cm (35 1/2in x 22 7/8in)) Provenance The Estate of the Artist. A Journey from Social Realism to Abstract Expressionism: Works from the Estate of Anthony Benjamin Few artists successfully span both Modern and Contemporary periods in British art whilst moving between multiple mediums. Anthony Benjamin (1931-2022) was one such polymath working in painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture in wood, metal and plastic. Benjamin wrote that, for him, ‘an idea is more important to a man than any physical object’, in the catalogue for his 1966 exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Chris Stevens, then curator of modern British art and Head of Displays at Tate Britain, described Benjamin as ‘an anarchist who ignored trends and forged his own path’. A bit of a loner and a bit of a thinker, Benjamin was quick to accept opportunities to work in new spaces, learning from the best. It was in Paris in the late 50’s, at Atelier 17 with William Stanley Hayter, that he experimented with new forms of painting, moving away from the landscape abstraction of St Ives. However, a constant in his practice was a precision of line, an incomparable quality of execution and an intense understanding of colour and form. Benjamin thought as he made and his thinking was always one-step ahead of the rest. It was during the 1970s, in collaboration with leading printer Kevin Harris at Calvert Studio, that Benjamin produced his seminal series of screenprints Roxy Bias Suite. Inspired by his student Brian Eno, Benjamin was fascinated by the new electronic music Eno was composing. Each of the six images in the series was named after computer music terms such as Inverse Echo and Multi-Mode Jitter. The screenprints use outrageously clashing bold colours, almost as if electrified and challenge the viewer with uncompromising energy. Sumptuous pieces, they were both of the time but also way-ahead of their time. No matter what Benjamin turned his hand to the results were always perfectly executed. In the 1990s he returned to drawing with a solo show at Gimpel Fils in London. Large scale works, they are more paintings in graphite than drawings. Involving a complex range of techniques of masking and erasure, of painting with graphite dust as well as drawing with broad pencils, these works incorporate texture and atmosphere, geometric forms, polar whites and intense blacks. They are some of the most powerfully evocative images that Benjamin produced. Throughout his career Benjamin held teaching posts at a variety of colleges of art and universities including time spent in the USA and Canada as Professor of Art at the University of Calgary and Hayward State College in California. His work is now held in a great number of international public collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain, the Tate, UK and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
NO RESERVE Anthony Benjamin (1931-2002) Three works Three screenprints in colour, 1972, each signed, titled and dated in pencil, numbered from the edition of 50, all on BFK Rives paper, with full margins, each sheet 755 x 525mm (29 5/8 x 20 5/8in) This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002) Untitled 1966 signed, dated and inscribed A/P in orange pencil screenprint in colours on wove sheet 58.1 x 98.1cm unframed ARR
§ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH, 1931â2002) ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH, 1931â2002) Still life signed and dated 'Benjamin 90' (lower right) pencil 76.3 x 56.5 cm. (30 x 22 1/4 in.) ARR
ANTHONY BENJAMIN (1931-2002) British, Double Red Landscape, Artist's Proof, framed and glazed; together with another framed and glazed abstract print. The former 56.5 x 74 cm.
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1931-2002) "Calgary" serigraph on paper, pencil signed and dated to lower right and numbered "39/50" to lower left, circa 1970, housed in a chrome frame. Image: 41" H x 29.5" W; frame: 41.5" H x 30" W.
§ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002) Untitled (three works) 1966 each signed, dated and inscribed A/P in pencil three screenprints in colours on wove each sheet 59.5 x 91cm unframed ARR 3
§ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002) ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002) Untitled signed, monogrammed,dated 99 and dedicated (lower right) numbered A/P 5/5 (lower left) etching and aquatint printed in colours 46 x 38 cm
§ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (1931-2002) ANTHONY BENJAMIN (1931-2002) Untitled signed and dated Feb '62/Benjamin (on the reverse) oil on canvas 66 x 86.4 cm (26 x 33 3/4 in)
§ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002) UNTITLED (MOROCCO SERIES), 2002 12/20, numbered in pencil (lower left), etching on paper (42.5cm x 42.5cm (16.75in x 16.75in)) Footnote: Anthony Benjamin is regarded as a talented polymath; a painter, sculptor and printmaker. Having studied in Paris under Fernand Leger, Benjamin came to St Ives in the late 1950s as a rebellious young artist. Using a small legacy, he purchased a cottage which previously belonged to Sven Berlin. Here, he found encouragement from the likes of Peter Lanyon, accepting his suggestion to join the Newlyn Society of Artists. He had his first one-man exhibition there in 1958. His work developed rapidly here, and he was apparently well supported and encouraged by significant figures in the art world, including Henry Moore and Francis Bacon who gave him canvases. Originally rooted in a more 'kitchen-sink' aesthetic, in Cornwall Benjamin's work became more Abstract Expressionist in concept.
§ ANTHONY BENJAMIN (BRITISH 1931-2002) UNTITLED, 1958 1/50, signed, dated and numbered in pen in the margin, etching on paper (44cm x 32.5cm (17.25in x 12.75in)) Footnote: Anthony Benjamin is regarded as a talented polymath; a painter, sculptor and printmaker. Having studied in Paris under Fernand Leger, Benjamin came to St Ives in the late 1950s as a rebellious young artist. Using a small legacy, he purchased a cottage which previously belonged to Sven Berlin. Here, he found encouragement from the likes of Peter Lanyon, accepting his suggestion to join the Newlyn Society of Artists. He had his first one-man exhibition there in 1958. His work developed rapidly here, and he was apparently well supported and encouraged by significant figures in the art world, including Henry Moore and Francis Bacon who gave him canvases. Originally rooted in a more 'kitchen-sink' aesthetic, in Cornwall Benjamin's work became more Abstract Expressionist in concept.
Colored pencil and ink on paper, 1990, signed 'Benjamin' and dated lower left, with label from Gimpel Fils Gallery, London. 6 x 7 3/4 in. (sheet), 12 x 13 1/2 in. (frame). Gimpel Fils Gallery, London
Anthony Benjamin (1931-2002) A Collection Five etchings with aquatint printed in colours, each signed, titled and dated in pencil, four inscribed A/P one numbered from the edition of 50, all on wove paper, with full margins, various sizes (5) (unframed) This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Anthony Benjamin FRSE RE, British 1931-2002- Overlayers for Meddlers, 1965; oil on canvas, signed, titled and dated on the reverse, 150x151cm (unframed) (ARR) Please refer to department for condition report
§ Anthony Benjamin (British 1931-2002) Zone, 1996 faintly signed, dated and titled (to reverse), oil on canvas (91cm x 102cm (35.75in x 40in), unframed)
Artist: Anthony Benjamin, British (1931 - 2002) Title: Columbus Year: 1979 Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 25/100 Image Size: 8.25 x 6.25 inches Size: 29.75 x 23 in. (75.57 x 58.42 cm)
Anthony Benjamin FRSA RE, British 1931-2002- Untitled (green, red and black abstract); watercolour and gouache on paper, bears estate stamp in margin and to the reverse, 21.5x24cm (unframed/mounted)(ARR) Provenance: purchased from the Modern British Paintings by the present owner
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1931-2002), Untitled, serigraph, pencil signed and numbered (A/P, 9/10) below image, 41.25"h x 29.25"w (sight), 41.75"h x 29.75"w (frame)
ANTHONY BENJAMIN (1931-2002) Untitled signed and dated 'Benjamin 59' (upper right), signed again and dated again '9th June 59/Anthony Benjamin' (on the reverse) oil on canvas 13 x 16 in. (33 x 40.6 cm.) Provenance: Anonymous sale; Christie's, South Kensington, 17 March 2016, lot 154, where purchased by the present owner. Artist's Resale Right may apply on this lot.
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1921-2002) Stacked Form Hardwood Sculpture. The Zig Zag birch ply and marble sculpture was exhibited at: Anthony Benjamin: Recent Sculpture, London, Gimpel Fils, Nov. 1976 - Jan. 1977. Included with the sculpture is the November 30, 1976 exhibition catalog from Gimpel Fils Gallery in London with a photo of the sculpture in the studio of Anthony Benjamin. The modern abstract geometric sculpture is laminated birch and is mounted on an artists marble plinth. Measures 55.6 inches high, including the marble base, 25.4 inches wide. In good condition. Sculpture acquired from the 33 Ocean Avenue East Hampton, New York estate of sculptor Norman Mercer (1916-2007). The 11 million dollar sprawling Norman Mercer estate was designed by modern architect Robert A. M. Stern. The sculpture was displayed on a tall white stand and was a focal point in the Mercer home. Included with the sculpture are photos of the sculpture inside the East Hampton estate. We are also offering a modernist lucite and steel sculpture by Anthony Benjamin from the Norman Mercer estate in this auction. From Wikipedia: Anthony Benjamin (1931–2002) FRSA, RE was an English painter, sculptor and printmaker. Referred to as a 'polymathic artist' by critic Rosemary Simmons when writing about his work for the Borderline Images By Anthony Benjamin show at The Graffiti Gallery in 1979. Benjamin was born in England in 1931. He began his study at Southall Technical College in 1947 as an engineering draughtsman and was accepted into Regent Street Polytechnic, now known as the University of Westminster (1950–1954). After his first year at Regent Street, Anthony travelled to Paris and studied for three months with Fernand Léger (1951). After graduating, while working and travelling between St. Ives and Paris, he was awarded a one-year French Government Fellowship for painting and printmaking, studying at Atelier 17 with WS Hayter in Paris (1958–1959). Following his time with WS Hayter, he was awarded an Italian Government Fellowship in Anticoli Corrado near Rome (1960–1961). Between 1961 and 1973 Anthony lectured and taught in the United Kingdom (Ealing, Ipswitch, Winchester, Ravensbourne, Colchester, and St. Martin’s School of Art), the United States (California State College) and in Canada (University of Calgary, York University). He returned to London in 1974 and in 1986 moved to Norfolk. Anthony was a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE). He died in London on 17 February 2002. Born in Boarhunt, Hampshire he endured a difficult childhood, due to an unstable family life and being a wartime London evacuee. He claimed to have attended at least 12 different schools, learning little except self-defence in the many playgrounds he had to cross. He did not lose his interest in fighting and he took up boxing, eventually becoming a professional fairground fighter. Leaving school in 1947 he took up an apprenticeship as an engineering draughtsman at the firm of Bell Punch, in Hayes, Middlesex. Anthony had an aptitude for careful drawing, as well as an appreciation and understanding of the logical principals of three-dimensional construction, but the lack of creative possibilities frustrated him. He dropped out of the apprenticeship in 1949 and was accepted on the sculpture program at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Unhappy with the academic restrictions prevailing in the department at the time and going against convention, he applied colour to a carving he was working on. When told to remove the paint or face expulsion from the department, he decided to leave, but he retained his deep interest in sculpture. Benjamin's talent had been recognised by a senior member of staff, Norman Blamey, who was a fine draughtsman and teacher. Blamey accepted the rebellious student into the painting department, where soon Benjamin produced some accomplished paintings. Using a restricted, almost monochromatic palette, his subject matter featured the surroundings of the dark basement flat he shared with fellow student and partner, Stella, whom he drew and painted many times. As well as portraits of his neighbours, ‘Bill and Nellie’ he also painted some exotic London Pearly Kings and Queens. At the end of the term, he travelled to Paris where he studied drawing with Fernand Léger for 3 months. On graduating from College in 1954, his paintings were accepted for exhibition by Helen Lesore, the hardline, Social Realist director of the Beaux Arts Gallery, the London home of the kitchen-sink artists. However, when he started using a broader range of colour and looser brushwork, including elements of abstraction, he was told by Lesore to toe the line or leave the gallery. Once again, faced with established restrictions, he chose to leave, rather than compromise his freedom to explore the possibilities of extending his creativity in new directions. He served time in Prison as a Conscientious Objector, not just against military service, he was opposed to all forms of conscription. He moved to St. Ives, using a legacy from his Mother, to buy a small cottage that had belonged to the sculptor, Sven Berlin. St. Ives had been dominated by the influence of Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth but by 1956 the "Middle Generation" of Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, Bryan Wynter and Terry Frost were becoming well established in Britain and were soon to be known in New York City. He accepted Peter Lanyon’s suggestion to join the Newlyn Society of Artists and had his first one-man exhibition there in 1958. His work, inspired by the Cornish light, land and seascape led him to a new understanding of tone and temper. Henry Moore encouraged him, Francis Bacon gave him canvasses, and working within this rich atmosphere, Benjamin produced work which became more expansive and colourful, and gradually more abstract in concept sliding into Abstract Expressionism.[2] Benjamin, became friends with the eloquent Scots Poet, Sidney Graham, who lived in the Coastguard Cottage at Gurnard’s Head. When in 1959 he was awarded a coveted French Government Bourse to study etching at S W Hayter's, renown Atelier 17 in Paris, (where some revolutionary new techniques of plate making and colour printing were being explored) he took with him a copy of the recently published collection of Graham’s poems titled The Night Fishing. This work became the inspiration for a suite of etchings which Anthony named An Homage to the Night Fishing. These fresh, colourful etchings have the energy of Tachist paintings. The Bourse Committee, very impressed with the work, extended Anthony’s study time by a month, so he could finish his work. Some test proofs were printed at the time, but the plates were not editioned somehow they were misplaced during a studio move and not found again until the late 1990s when Anthony’s nephew and printer, Simon Marsh discovered them, still wrapped in a French newspaper. Partial editions were then printed. They were shown in an Exhibition curated by Chris Stephens, about Sidney Graham and his artist friends. The suite of innovative prints is now in the Tate Britain Collection. Anthony was awarded an Italian Travel Study Scholarship in 1960. He was profoundly moved by the art of the Early Renaissance that he saw in the museums, palaces and cathedrals. He was struck by the use of repeated flat geometrical shapes in many works, particularly by the strong impact and visual rhythm set up by the rows of saint’s halos in Duccio’s ‘Madonna in Majesty’ in the Siena Duomo. When he returned to London in mid-1961 this rediscovery of defined, flat shapes, shallow but articulate space and much more vibrant colour informed his new painting. Full of renewed energy as a result of his Italian experiences, he painted prolifically and exhibited widely. He had several one-man shows at the Grabowski Gallery in South Kensington, as well as at St. Catherine’s College in Oxford and Belfast University.
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1931-2002) Modernist Chrome and Lucite Constructivist Sculpture. Sculpture is signed with the artists initials A.B., numbered 3/5 from the edition of 5, and dated 1969. The quality constructed metal precision sculpture is heavy and weighs 28 pounds. Measures 14 inches high, 10 by 7.7 inches wide. In good condition. Included with the modern sculpture is a March 1969 exhibition catalog from Gimpel Gallery in New York with a similar A. Benjamin sculpture pictured. The sculpture was acquired from the 33 Ocean Avenue East Hampton, New York estate of sculptor Norman Mercer (1916-2007). The 11 million dollar sprawling Norman Mercer estate was designed by modern architect Robert A. M. Stern. We are also offering a 55 inch wood sculpture by Anthony Benjamin from the same estate in this auction. Included with the sculpture are photos of the interior and exterior of the Norman Mercer East Hampton estate. From Wikipedia: Anthony Benjamin (1931–2002) FRSA, RE was an English painter, sculptor and printmaker. Referred to as a 'polymathic artist' by critic Rosemary Simmons when writing about his work for the Borderline Images By Anthony Benjamin show at The Graffiti Gallery in 1979. Benjamin was born in England in 1931. He began his study at Southall Technical College in 1947 as an engineering draughtsman and was accepted into Regent Street Polytechnic, now known as the University of Westminster (1950–1954). After his first year at Regent Street, Anthony travelled to Paris and studied for three months with Fernand Léger (1951). After graduating, while working and travelling between St. Ives and Paris, he was awarded a one-year French Government Fellowship for painting and printmaking, studying at Atelier 17 with WS Hayter in Paris (1958–1959). Following his time with WS Hayter, he was awarded an Italian Government Fellowship in Anticoli Corrado near Rome (1960–1961). Between 1961 and 1973 Anthony lectured and taught in the United Kingdom (Ealing, Ipswitch, Winchester, Ravensbourne, Colchester, and St. Martin’s School of Art), the United States (California State College) and in Canada (University of Calgary, York University). He returned to London in 1974 and in 1986 moved to Norfolk. Anthony was a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE). He died in London on 17 February 2002. Born in Boarhunt, Hampshire he endured a difficult childhood, due to an unstable family life and being a wartime London evacuee. He claimed to have attended at least 12 different schools, learning little except self-defence in the many playgrounds he had to cross. He did not lose his interest in fighting and he took up boxing, eventually becoming a professional fairground fighter. Leaving school in 1947 he took up an apprenticeship as an engineering draughtsman at the firm of Bell Punch, in Hayes, Middlesex. Anthony had an aptitude for careful drawing, as well as an appreciation and understanding of the logical principals of three-dimensional construction, but the lack of creative possibilities frustrated him. He dropped out of the apprenticeship in 1949 and was accepted on the sculpture program at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Unhappy with the academic restrictions prevailing in the department at the time and going against convention, he applied colour to a carving he was working on. When told to remove the paint or face expulsion from the department, he decided to leave, but he retained his deep interest in sculpture. Benjamin's talent had been recognised by a senior member of staff, Norman Blamey, who was a fine draughtsman and teacher. Blamey accepted the rebellious student into the painting department, where soon Benjamin produced some accomplished paintings. Using a restricted, almost monochromatic palette, his subject matter featured the surroundings of the dark basement flat he shared with fellow student and partner, Stella, whom he drew and painted many times. As well as portraits of his neighbours, ‘Bill and Nellie’ he also painted some exotic London Pearly Kings and Queens. At the end of the term, he travelled to Paris where he studied drawing with Fernand Léger for 3 months. On graduating from College in 1954, his paintings were accepted for exhibition by Helen Lesore, the hardline, Social Realist director of the Beaux Arts Gallery, the London home of the kitchen-sink artists. However, when he started using a broader range of colour and looser brushwork, including elements of abstraction, he was told by Lesore to toe the line or leave the gallery. Once again, faced with established restrictions, he chose to leave, rather than compromise his freedom to explore the possibilities of extending his creativity in new directions. He served time in Prison as a Conscientious Objector, not just against military service, he was opposed to all forms of conscription. He moved to St. Ives, using a legacy from his Mother, to buy a small cottage that had belonged to the sculptor, Sven Berlin. St. Ives had been dominated by the influence of Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth but by 1956 the "Middle Generation" of Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, Bryan Wynter and Terry Frost were becoming well established in Britain and were soon to be known in New York City. He accepted Peter Lanyon’s suggestion to join the Newlyn Society of Artists and had his first one-man exhibition there in 1958. His work, inspired by the Cornish light, land and seascape led him to a new understanding of tone and temper. Henry Moore encouraged him, Francis Bacon gave him canvasses, and working within this rich atmosphere, Benjamin produced work which became more expansive and colourful, and gradually more abstract in concept sliding into Abstract Expressionism.[2] Benjamin, became friends with the eloquent Scots Poet, Sidney Graham, who lived in the Coastguard Cottage at Gurnard’s Head. When in 1959 he was awarded a coveted French Government Bourse to study etching at S W Hayter's, renown Atelier 17 in Paris, (where some revolutionary new techniques of plate making and colour printing were being explored) he took with him a copy of the recently published collection of Graham’s poems titled The Night Fishing. This work became the inspiration for a suite of etchings which Anthony named An Homage to the Night Fishing. These fresh, colourful etchings have the energy of Tachist paintings. The Bourse Committee, very impressed with the work, extended Anthony’s study time by a month, so he could finish his work. Some test proofs were printed at the time, but the plates were not editioned somehow they were misplaced during a studio move and not found again until the late 1990s when Anthony’s nephew and printer, Simon Marsh discovered them, still wrapped in a French newspaper. Partial editions were then printed. They were shown in an Exhibition curated by Chris Stephens, about Sidney Graham and his artist friends. The suite of innovative prints is now in the Tate Britain Collection. Anthony was awarded an Italian Travel Study Scholarship in 1960. He was profoundly moved by the art of the Early Renaissance that he saw in the museums, palaces and cathedrals. He was struck by the use of repeated flat geometrical shapes in many works, particularly by the strong impact and visual rhythm set up by the rows of saint’s halos in Duccio’s ‘Madonna in Majesty’ in the Siena Duomo. When he returned to London in mid-1961 this rediscovery of defined, flat shapes, shallow but articulate space and much more vibrant colour informed his new painting. Full of renewed energy as a result of his Italian experiences, he painted prolifically and exhibited widely. He had several one-man shows at the Grabowski Gallery in South Kensington, as well as at St. Catherine’s College in Oxford and Belfast University.
Anthony Benjamin,British 1931-2002-Melting Moments, 1973; screenprint in colours on wove, signed, titled, dated and numbered 67/95 in pencil, 76.5x56cm: together with one other screenprint in colours by the same artist, depicting a geometric composition, signed, titled indistinctly, dated 73, inscribed AP 5/10 in pencil, 76.2x56cm (2) (unframed) (ARR)
Anthony Benjamin FRSA RE, British 1931-2002- White Star, 1984;etching in colours, signed, titled, dated and numbered 13/35 in pencil, 35.8x30.5cm: together with four further etchings in colours and two screenprints in colours by the same artist, to include Preview, Omega Factor 2 and Omega Factor 2, ea. signed, dated and numbered in pencil, some titled in pencil, various sizes, 56x76cm (max), (7) (unframed) (ARR)
Three gouaches on paper 17.7 x 12.5 cm. (7 1/8 x 4 7/8 in); 29 x 22.5 cm, (11 3/8 x 8 7/8 in); 27.3 x 22.8 cm. (10 3/4 x 8 7/8 in) IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Three gouaches on paper, one dated '3-4-60' in pencil on the reverse 22.8 x 29.3 cm. (8 7/8 x 11 1/2 in) ; 16 x 20 cm. (6 1/4 x 7 7/8 in); 27.3 x 18.5 cm. (10 3/4 x 7 1/4 in) IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Three gouaches on paper 23 x 29.3 cm. (9 1/8 x 11 1/2 in); 22.8 x 22.8 cm. (8 7/8 x 8 7/8 in); 12.5 x 16.2 cm (4 7/8 x 6 5/8 in) IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Anthony Benjamin (English, 1931-2002) "Nimbus"- 1969, mixed media sculpture, limited edition 2/5, signed, dated and edition noted interior base. Abstract mixed material sculpture with opaque ultramarine blue trapezoidal acrylic base, with elbow-shaped copper pipe showing some patina, pipe divided by transparent, pale blue acrylic cloud form. Approximate height at tallest point 17.5". Approximate width at widest point (measured across cloud form) 13".
Anthony Benjamin (English, 1931-2002) "Optical Illusion Pyramid"-1968, mixed media sculpture, edition 2/5, initialed, dated and edition noted on base. Abstract mixed media sculpture with bronze base of peak-less pyramid form, top of peak-less pyramid with undulating shape referencing sand dunes, with clear acrylic plane perpendicular to base with triangular void visually completing the peak of the below pyramid. Overall approximately 13.6" x 13.4" x 13.4".
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1931-2002). Untitled limited edition screenprint, 1986. Signed, dated and numbered 91/150 in pencil to margin. Framed and glazed. Image size 77cm x 57cm (size in frame 82cm x 63cm).
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1931-2002). Untitled limited edition screenprint. Signed, dated and numbered 115/120 in pencil to margin. Framed and glazed. Image size 50cm x 77cm (sizee in frame 68cm x 94cm).
Anthony Benjamin (British, 1931-2002). 'Meccarama Serif', limited edition screenprint, signed, dated '72 and titled in pencil to margin, unframed. 96cm x 67cm (paper size 105cm x 75cm).
Artist: Anthony Benjamin, British (1931 - 2002) Title: Columbus Year: 1979 Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 25/100 Image Size: 8.25 x 6.25 inches Size: 29.75 x 23 in. (75.57 x 58.42 cm)
oil on board, 1957, 31.5 x 39 cm (12 3/8 x 15 3/8 in) Provenance: Private Collection, UK. IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
oil on board, 1957, insribed 'Hillside, Nov 57, Anthony Benjamin' on the reverse, 35 x 37 cm (13 3/4 x 14 1/2 in) Provenance: Private Collection, UK. IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Artist: Anthony Benjamin, British (1931 - 2002) Title: Columbus Year: 1979 Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 25/100 Image Size: 8.25 x 6.25 inches Size: 29.75 x 23 in. (75.57 x 58.42 cm)
