Lot 126: James Dixon (1887-1970)

James Dixon (1887-1970)
Muldoon and the nets
indistinctly inscribed 'Tory Island With a catch of Fish/in a Gully Bach of/Tory Island at Muldon/went through under/fish and went away' (lower right) signed, inscribed and dated 'By James Dixon Tory Island/3/3 1916' (lower centre)
oil on board
21½ x 29 in. (54.6 x 73.6 cm.)

with Rona Gallery, London, where purchased by the present owner, February 1996.

Dixon was a fisherman by trade who took up painting late in life. Like his St Ives counterpart, Alfred Wallis, Dixon never received any formal art training and was taken up by a professional artist who introduced his work to the contemporary art world.

While St Ives and Alfred Wallis proved inspirational for Ben Nicholson, Tory Island presented a romantic retreat for Derek Hill, the artist who discovered Dixon. Again, this association with the romanticism of the place has led to certain aspects of the artists' works being celebrated above others, in particular their portrayal of the sea and boats.