Lot 151: Olga Davenport (1915-2008)

Olga Davenport (1915-2008)
Promenade
signed 'Olga Davenport' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
23½ x 29½ in. (59.7 x 74.6 cm.)

Born in South Africa in 1915, Davenport first exhibited a painting at the South African Academy at the age of fifteen. Although she later entered into the theatre, between performances she studied at the Westminster School of Art with Mark Gertler and through him met Matthew Smith and Ivon Hitchins. Later, she gave up her acting career to become a full time painter, studying at Chelsea Polytechnic, the Royal College of Art and Peter Lanyon's School in St Ives. At St. Ives she made life-long friends with many of the leading artists of the time, including William Scott who described her paintings as ' ... quiet, personal, bold without agression, lyrical colour, you have arrived at something very much your own, they are right. Pictures are either right or wrong and no one can really say why' (letter from William Scott to Olga Davenport, hand-written and dated 6th May 1969).

The present work was included in Olga Davenport's second show at The Piccadilly Gallery, 1976. Olga Davenport said of her work then 'In front of a landscape today the modern artist is aware of a conflict between her subjective feelings and the detachment needed to create a work which will be a plastic object in its own right. I have tried to resolve this conflict and present a synthesis by using colour relationships to suggest space and rhythm, and minimal figuration to present a sense of place.'