'A Stainglass Prepatory Work.' Acrylic and paper collage on paper. Signed on a label adhered to the reverse. 48 x 48". Note: This large preparatory work for a stainglass design has been registered and archived with the artist's studio.
SIR BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH 1953-) THE PLUMB WINDOW II, 1974 vertical window screen, mouth-blown English, French Antique and Belgian Opal glass with mirrors, cut and leaded approximately 192.5cm x 58.5cm (75 ¾in x 23in) Private Collection, U.K. “The 1974 work is I think the most significant of my early works and one that I remain fascinated by today. I was 21 when I created it - and actually fabricated it myself - during the brief period I lived in Preston. I saw it then, and see it now, as a sort of doorway or window onto another world. An Arcadian experience that also was the beginning of a lifetime of experiments in the medium around the globe. It possesses, I like to think, an innocence that is impossible to fake - an uncluttered belief in abiding and endless affection.” – Sir Brian Clarke, 2024. Commissioned for the home of a northern business family (together with the smaller, related Plumb Window II), The Plumb Window is the largest of Clarke’s domestic, and secular, architectural commissions from the period. The composition divided across fifteen individual panels, read as a whole, depicts an abstracted landscape. An exemplar of Clarke’s maturing style, using characterful and richly textured transparent and translucent mouth-blown glasses. The work is in the lyrical mode which characterises Clarke’s early stained glass; displaying what art historian Martin Harrison describes as ‘Clarke’s devotion to flowers as events — literally and metaphorically — in a field’, the leading is expressively graphic, and in rendering the imagined landscapes of both Plumb windows, Clarke has eschewed the use of glass paint, emphasising the innate qualities of the material. The two Plumb windows should also be seen as kinetic artworks, with a secondary visual dynamic created by the passage of light through them over the course of each day. One of three panels of Plumb Window II, prior to installation into architectural setting, was shown as part of the travelling exhibition Glass Art One.As the present owner has noted; “The window has for me always been about rootedness - my husband loved mountains and I was engaged with the earth through gardening - so the picture Brian captured so delicately expressed our joint interests. Those roots into the land have sustained us through the decades as we brought up our family. The work feels so pertinent now in an era of climate change embodying as it does the connectivity of the earth from soil to glacier, and I cannot thank Brian enough for this leading light that has been in our life.” Exhibited: Panel from Plumb Window II:Derby Cathedral, Glass Art One, 1975, touring to Mid-Pennine Arts Association Gallery, Blackburn, Blackburn Cathedral, Manchester Cathedral and Bakewell Parish Church. We would like to thank the Studio of Sir Brian Clarke for their assistance in cataloguing the present work.
SIR BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH 1953-) THE PLUMB WINDOW I, 1974 polyptych in fifteen parts, mouth-blow English, French Antique and Belgian Opal glass with mirrors, cut and leaded approximately 210cm x 243cm (82 5/8in x 95 5/8in) Private Collection, U.K. “The 1974 work is I think the most significant of my early works and one that I remain fascinated by today. I was 21 when I created it - and actually fabricated it myself - during the brief period I lived in Preston. I saw it then, and see it now, as a sort of doorway or window onto another world. An Arcadian experience that also was the beginning of a lifetime of experiments in the medium around the globe. It possesses, I like to think, an innocence that is impossible to fake - an uncluttered belief in abiding and endless affection.” – Sir Brian Clarke, 2024. Commissioned for the home of a northern business family (together with the smaller, related Plumb Window II), The Plumb Window is the largest of Clarke’s domestic, and secular, architectural commissions from the period. The composition divided across fifteen individual panels, read as a whole, depicts an abstracted landscape. An exemplar of Clarke’s maturing style, using characterful and richly textured transparent and translucent mouth-blown glasses. The work is in the lyrical mode which characterises Clarke’s early stained glass; displaying what art historian Martin Harrison describes as ‘Clarke’s devotion to flowers as events — literally and metaphorically — in a field’, the leading is expressively graphic, and in rendering the imagined landscapes of both Plumb windows, Clarke has eschewed the use of glass paint, emphasising the innate qualities of the material. The two Plumb windows should also be seen as kinetic artworks, with a secondary visual dynamic created by the passage of light through them over the course of each day. One of three panels of Plumb Window II, prior to installation into architectural setting, was shown as part of the travelling exhibition Glass Art One.As the present owner has noted; “The window has for me always been about rootedness - my husband loved mountains and I was engaged with the earth through gardening - so the picture Brian captured so delicately expressed our joint interests. Those roots into the land have sustained us through the decades as we brought up our family. The work feels so pertinent now in an era of climate change embodying as it does the connectivity of the earth from soil to glacier, and I cannot thank Brian enough for this leading light that has been in our life.” Exhibited: Panel from Plumb Window II:Derby Cathedral, Glass Art One, 1975, travelling to Mid-Pennine Arts Association Gallery, Blackburn, Blackburn Cathedral, Manchester Cathedral and Bakewell Parish Church. Designs and Preliminary Studies:Sheffield City Polytechnic, Brian Clarke: Paintings and Installations, 1977;Robert Fraser Gallery, London, c.1984;Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, Brian Clarke: The Art of Light, 2018;Museum of Arts and Design, New York, Brian Clarke: The Art of Light, 2020-21. Literature: Wolfenden, Ian, ‘Brian Clarke : Glass Art One’, Crafts Magazine, London, January 1976, p.50, no.18. Coleman, Marigold, ‘Glass from the North’, Crafts Magazine, Crafts Council of Great Britain, London, May 1977, p.17, no.26;Clarke, Brian (ed.), Architectural Stained Glass, John Murray Publishers, London, 1979, p.153;Harrison, Martin and Brian Clarke, Brian Clarke: Paintings and Projects, Quartet Books, London, 1981, pp.93-94, 187 and 191;Clarke, Brian, Paul, Greenhalgh and Norman Foster, The Art of Light, HENI Publishing, London, 2018 and second edition, Museum of Arts and Design/HENI, 2020, p. 18, Plumb Window I illustrated and p.11 for an illustration of the preliminary design of Plumb Window I;Hans Ulrich Obrist, Brian Clarke: Collages 2022 –2023, HENI Publishing, London, 2023, p.16 for an illustration of the preliminary design of Plumb Window I. We would like to thank the Studio of Sir Brian Clarke for their assistance in cataloguing the present work.
§ BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH, B.1953) BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH, B.1953) Vesper 66 signed and dated 'Brian Clarke 2019' (lower right) watercolour 40 x 30 cm. (15 3/4 x 11 7/8 in.) Provenance With HENI Leviathan, 1 September 2021, where purchased by the present owner Exhibited London, Phillips, Brian Clarke: Vespers, 5 August-10 September 2021 ARR
Brian Clarke (British, born 1953) A Volkswagen (1963) signed and dated 'Brian Clarke 2010' (lower right) silver pen and collage on paper 84 x 59cm (33 1/16 x 23 1/4in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
§ BRIAN CLARKE (B. 1953) PROPERTY OF A LADY, LONDON BRIAN CLARKE (B. 1953) Untitled signed and dated Brian Clarke1990 (on the reverse) acrylic and collage on paper 74.6 x 56.5 cm (29 1/2 x 22 1/4 in) PROVENANCE: with The Mayor Gallery, London Known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, Clark has collaborated with numerous major figures in Modern and contemporary architecture including Dame Zaha Hadid, Sir Norman Foster, Renzo Piano and Oscar Niemeyer.
BRIAN CLARKE British (b. 1953) Untitled acrylic and paper collage on paper, signed on the reverse "Brian Clarke" 41 5/8 x 41 5/8 inches Provenance: Private Collection, Massachusetts. Other Notes: Brian Clarke Studio no. 84-112. tags: modern / contemporary, stained glass, European
Brian Clarke (British, born 1953) Untitled twice inscribed '10/12' (on canvas overlap and stretcher bar) oil and pastel on canvas 200 x 67cm (78 3/4 x 26 3/8in). (unframed) Painted in 2010 For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Brian Clarke, British b.1953- Time Lag Zero, 1980; screenprint in colours on wove, signed, dated and inscribed AP in pencil, an artist's proof aside from the edition of 100, sheet 65 x 90cm (framed) (ARR) Please refer to department for condition report
BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH, BORN 1953), BOYS, artist's proof, signed and dated 1981 in pencil lower right margin, inscribed 'AP2' lower left margin, screenprint, framed. Visible sheet 106cm by 74cm
BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH, BORN 1953), BUILDINGS, artist's proof, signed and dated 1981 in pencil lower right margin, inscribed 'AP2' lower left margin, framed. Visible sheet 105cm by 73cm
BRIAN CLARKE (BRITISH, BORN 1953), BEAUTIES, artist's proof, signed and dated 1981 in pencil lower right margin, inscribed 'AP2' lower left margin, framed. Visible sheet 106cm by 73cm
Brian Clarke (British, born 1953) A Volkswagen (1963), 2010 signed and dated 'Brian Clarke 2010' (lower right) silver pen and collage on paper 84 x 59cm (33 1/16 x 23 1/4in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Brian Clarke (British, born 1953) Blue Computergram, 1981 each numbered (on the overlap) oil and screenprint on canvas, in eight parts Each: 76 x 76 cm. 29 15/16 in. Overall: 152 x 304 cm. 59 13/16 x 119 11/16 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
BRIAN CLARKE (B. 1953) Night Orchid 200 signed and dated 'Brian Clarke, 2015' (lower right) watercolour, graphite and white pencil on card233⁄8 x 161⁄2in. (59.5 x 42cm.) Executed in 2015
Mixed media on paper, 1984, signed 'Brian Clarke' and dated lower center.59 x 47 in. (sheet), 62 x 50 in. (frame).Note: Known primarily for his work in stained glass, Brian Clarke's works on paper are designs for his glass art and draw inspiration from artists like Henri Matisse whose Vence chapel brought the art of stained glass to a new level.
Brian Clarke (British, born 1953) Untitled signed and dated 'Brian Clarke 1984' (lower centre), acrylic and collage on paper 194 x 107cm (76 3/8 x 42 1/8in).
Brian Clarke (né en 1953) Sans titre, 1984 Technique mixte et collages sur papier Dédicacé en bas à gauche, signé et daté en bas à droite Mixed media and collage on paper; dedicated lower left; signed and dated lower right 120 x 79 cm - 47 1/4 x 31 1/8 in.
Brian Clarke British, b. 1953 Untitled, 1984 Signed Brian Clarke and dated 1984 (lc) Acrylic and collaged paper and newsprint on paper 59 1/2 x 47 1/2 inches (151.13 x 120.65 cm) Provenance: The Artist Private Collection, Bosto C
Brian Clarke British, b. 1953 Black, White on Red, 1979 Signed Clarke and dated 1979 on the reverse Acrylic on canvas 72 x 72 inches (182.88 x 182.88 cm) Unframed Provenance: The Artist Robert Fraser Gallery, London Vesti-Dane Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ Private Collection, Boston Exhibited: Brian Clarke, May 31 - Jun. 29, 1980, Sheffield City Art Galleries, Sheffield, England C
Brian Clarke (British, b. 1953) Pray for Josquin, from the seriesThe Two Cultures, 1981, edition of 75, printed at Kelpra Studio and published by Swellfame Ltd. and Robert Fraser Gallery. Signed and dated "Brian Clarke 1981" in pencil l.r., numbered "75.75" in pencil l.l. Color screenprint on Arches paper, image size 44 x 27 1/8 in. (111.6 x 68.8 cm), unmatted, unframed. Condition: Full margins with deckled edges to three sides, pinholes to upper corners of margins, subtle toning, mild soiling to verso.
Brian Clarke (British, b. 1953) Beauties, from the series The Two Cultures, 1981, edition of 75, printed at Kelpra Studio and published by Swellfame Ltd. and Robert Fraser Gallery. Signed and dated "Brian Clarke 1981" in pencil l.r., numbered "51 75" in pencil l.l. Color screenprint on Arches paper, image size 39 3/4 x 27 1/2 in. (100.8 x 69.8 cm), unmatted, unframed. Condition: Full margins with deckled edges to three sides, subtle toning.
Buildings, 1982 Screenprint in colors on wove paper, signed in pencil, dated and numbered 72/75, with full margins, framed. 39 1/2 x 27 1/2in sheet 42 x 29 1/4in
Time Lag Zero, 1982 Screenprint in colors on wove paper, signed in pencil, dated and numbered 72/75, with full margins, framed. 29 1/2 x 19 3/4in sheet 42 x 31in
Saturated System, 1982 Screenprint in colors on wove paper, signed in pencil, dated and numbered 73/75, with full margins, framed. 44 x 26 3/4in sheet 47 1/2 x 31 1/2in
Goblinssigned D. M. Bunker and dated 1886, l.r. - - oil on canvas37 1/2 x 49 3/4 in. (95.3 x 126.4 cm.)PROVENANCEReverend George Gardner Monks, BostonBy descent through the Monks family, BostonGift to Simmons CollegeEXHIBITEDChicago, Chicago Exposition, 1887 as A Winter's TaleBoston, Museum of Fine Arts, Dennis Miller Bunker: An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings, Oct., 1943 as Interior: Reading Aloud New Britain, The New Britain Museum of American Art, Dennis Miller Bunker Rediscovered, April-May, 1978New York, Davis & Long Gallery, Dennis Miller Bunker, June, 1978 as Reading AloudLITERATURER. H. I. Gammell, Dennis Miller Bunker, New York, 1953, p. 49, illus. as Reading AloudThis is Dennis Bunker's largest known work and his most ambitious figure painting. Though perhaps best-known today for his innovative Impressionist landscapes painted during his last two summers, Bunker actually adopted the strategies of that movement only for his outdoor landscape work. As a figure and portrait painter, he not only remained faithful to the academic precepts he had studied abroad, but as the most influential art teacher in Boston in the mid-1880s, his impact was central to two generations of the Boston School of Figure Painting. A Winter's Tale of Sprites and Goblins stands at a crucial juncture in this scenario.Bunker was born on Long Island and trained first in New York City at the Art Students League and the school of the National Academy of Design. In the autumn of 1882 he went to Paris, entering the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and studying for a few months with Ernest Hebert, before entering the studio of Jean-Leon Gerome, where he remained until he returned to New York, probably early in 1885. Shortly thereafter he settled in Boston, and became the instructor of the life study and portrait classes of the newly formed Cowles Art School where Bunker was in charge of teaching artistic anatomy and composition.A Winter's Tale of Sprites and Goblins was the first significant picture that Bunker painted in his adopted city and demonstrates his mastery of academic principles which made him the ideal instructor at the school. The painting, in fact, may be thought of in part as a stirring example of Bunker's command of figural construction and anatomy, spatial structure, and tonal values of light and shade. As such, it offers evidence of the profound impact that Gerome exercised upon Bunker, and in turn demonstrates those qualities which Bunker passed down to such students at the Cowles School as William Paxton, who continued to revere Bunker throughout his long career. However, in place of his master's preference for exotic subject matter drawn from the ancient world and from North Africa and the Near East, Bunker created an American, domestic tribute to home and hearth and the middle-class family. This corner of the living room or study is a protected sanctuary of childhood, the various children of a modern family joined together through literary stimulation, as the oldest daughter (or possibly their young mother) reads to her siblings. The presence of the doll confirms the world and the pleasures of childhood. The family is designated as unostentatious, with the young women dressed in simple white home garments, though the elegance and affluence of the household is confirmed by the lovingly painted silver and porcelain tea service.The viewer is struck at first by the somber palette, dramatic lighting, and the grave expressions of the children, but the artist's title explains the sense of mystery and seriousness of the situation, while adding a romantic note. R. H. Ives Gammell, Bunker's early biographer, has suggested that the artist was here paying tribute to his admiration for the work of the Belgian painter, Alfred Stevens, but the simple bourgeois ambience and costumes are far from the sparkling elegance of Stevens' fashionable Parisian scenes. Rather, Bunker has here combined the academic precepts learned from Gerome with a middle-class, New England transcription of the many scenes of peasant children listening to a reading which he would have viewed in Paris at the Salon. Indeed, during his first Salon experience, when he would have been at his most impressionable, he would have seen Paul Hoecker's En Hollande and Edmond Adolphe Rudaux's Contes de Grand'mere, the latter especially a harbinger of Bunker's painting.Bunker had prepared for this elaborate composition, not only through his mastery of the figure, but through the creation of several smaller, probably figureless interiors, including the Interior of My Studio and Neglected Corner, the latter owned by the great collector, Thomas B. Clarke, and both shown in Bunker's first one-artist show held at the Noyes & Blakeslee Gallery in Boston in November of 1885. He identified the present work as depicting a winter's scene, and indeed, the picture was created between November of 1885 and March of 1886. A Winter's Tale of Sprites and Goblins is referred to, though only obliquely, in Bunker's letters to his close friend, the artist Joe Evans, with whom he shared an intense interest in theatre; Bunker understandably agonized over so elaborate and challenging a composition. On November 24, 1885, he noted to Evans that he had "commenced a picture but don't let's talk any more about it." In early December, he had shown the painting to one of the Taber brothers, a family of actors whom Evans much admired, and Bunker was gratified that Taber "seemed to think it was a good subject, which comforted me very greatly as I've a lurking fear that it is not. But Mr. T. seems after all to be a man of much discrimination and I dare say his judgement in such matters is rather to be relied upon." In another letter written about the same time, Bunker confessed that his picture was "in a dreadfully bad way. I can't seem to get on with it, although I work at it all the time." Finally, on March 19, 1886, Bunker was able to tell Evans that "my picture is finished."The picture was shown in May at the eighth annual exhibition of the Society of American Artists in New York City, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There is was admired by a number of critics. The writer for the New York Herald found the work "well painted and cleverly arranged," while the critic for the Mail and Express described it as "effective in arrangement and color" and "the most elaborate genre composition" in the show, with the "group of children listening, open-eyed, with eager interest to some eerie fable." The reviewer for Art Amateur was reminded of the old-fashioned family group described in the Vicar of Wakefield; the writer for the New-York Daily Tribune reserved his admiration for the figure of the young girl at the far left. A Winter's Tale of Sprites and Goblins would seem to have served as a significant influence on the work of J. Alden Weir, another Gerome-trained artist, whose prize-winning Idle Hours (Metropolitan Museum of Art) of 1888, shares the aura of tranquil sanctuary, based upon the thorough, sensitive understanding and practice of academic strategies.To date, the models utilized here have not been identified though they may well have been members of the family of friends of the artist. That the picture was not painted on commission as an informal portrait group is quite certain, for the artist offered it for sale at the exhibition of the Society of American Artists. On the other hand, it would seem to have sold quite promptly, since no other lifetime exhibitions of the work have so far been located; presumably, it entered immediately into a private collection, probably that of the Monks family who lived at 51 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. It is surprising that Winter's Tale of Sprites and Goblins did not resurface in Bunker's memorial show, held at the St. Botolph Club in Boston in January of 1891, though the collection shown then consisted primarily of the artist's Impressionist landscapes. This picture was included in the Bunker exhibition held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston during October, 1943, and again in the Bunker show held at the New Britain Museum of American Art in April, of 1978. It remains the artist's most important figural work.We are grateful to Dr. William H. Gerdts for writing this essay.
