CUTTY SARK CAPTURED IN ITS ORIGINAL GLORY BY THE GREAT ARTIST EDWARD SEAGO ONE OF TEN WORKS BY THE ARTIST TO GO UP FOR AUCTION

Sailing or history aficionados will be delighted to hear that a magnificent painting of the Cutty Sark, by the celebrated artist Edward Seago (1910-1974), is one of ten works by the artist to be offered at auction in March. The spectacular painting in oil on canvas is one of several that Seago painted of the clipper, in its dry dock at Greenwich, London, demonstrating his ongoing fascination of the river and shipping. It is estimated to fetch £5,000-8,000 when it goes under the hammer in Dreweatts Modern & Contemporary Art sale on March 18, 2021.

The works (lots 106-115 in the sale), include drawings, watercolours and oil paintings, showcasing the full breadth and diversity of his oeuvre. From an early equestrian work inspired by his mentor, Sir Alfred Munnings, to his later quintessential views of the coastline of his beloved Norfolk, plus a range of works created on foreign trips, they are set to be a focal point of the Modern & Contemporary Art sale.

Commenting on the works, Dreweatts specialist Brandon Lindberg, said: “Edward Seago was one of the most popular English landscape artists of the 20th century and we are thrilled to be offering such a wonderful range.”

Born in Norwich in Norfolk, Seago spent the first 21 years of his life there and would return for visits even after he left, finally settling back in East Anglia after WWII. He was passionate about the region and lived in the 17th Century ‘Dutch House’ in Ludham, Norfolk, where he produced his mesmerizing landscapes of the coastline.

Due to regular bouts of illness as a child which continued as he grew up, Seago had spent many periods of his life convalescing, which prevented him from having any formal art training. It did however give him the time to observe nature and subjects and to practise capturing them.

He was lucky enough to catch the attention of several leading artists of the day, who became mentors to him. One such artist was Sir Alfred Munnings, who was to influence Seago’s work throughout his artistic career. Others included Bertram Priestman and John Masefield.

Gypsy Encampment by Edward Seago (1916-1971). Est. £1,500-2,000As a young artist he lived a bohemian lifestyle, living and travelling with gypsies, ballet dancers and theatrical characters, which he captured so well on canvas. Gypsy Encampment is an early work that Seago created in the late 1920s, when gypsies set up camp near his family home in Brooke, outside Norwich. Curious, as many were at the time, about the gypsies’ bohemian,

nomadic life and brightly coloured attire and caravans, they became the subject of a series of drawings and he included several oils in his first solo exhibition in 1929. The work is estimated to fetch £1,500-2,000.