Call to end mystery around Cornwall scenes by The Secret Painter

BBC News

3 days ago

The family of an artist known as The Secret Painter are hoping people will help solve a mystery surrounding two of his artworks.The paintings by Eric Tucker are believed to depict China Clay Country near St Austell in Cornwall but the exact location and the people he painted are unknown.The paintings, one in oil and the other in watercolour, have been part of an exhibition at the Connaught Brown gallery in London.Tucker, who died in 2018, left behind hundreds of his paintings at his former council house in Warrington, Cheshire.
Tucker's nephew Joe Tucker said the two artworks were among 550 paintings discovered at his uncle's house but were very different to the others that predominantly featured working class life in the north of England.He said they would love to know more about the location of the paintings and the people portrayed."These two are a bit of an anomaly in the collection because, as far as we know, they're the only images he produced of Cornwall," said Mr Tucker. "At least, we're pretty sure they're Cornwall – my dad, the artist's younger brother, believes they may depict the China Clay mines near St Austell."He said it seemed likely the paintings were inspired by Edward Burra's famous Cornish watercolours of the area.
Mr Tucker said: "We know my uncle was a great admirer of Burra's – but my dad thinks his brother may have also travelled to the area for work."He worked as a labourer and, in later years, travelled around the country making deliveries to building sites. It's also just possible he was visiting the area on his way to St Ives."
Mr Tucker has written a book about his uncle, The Secret Painter, in which he describes how his uncle, who was also a boxer, had a distant and unfulfilled ambition to live in St Ives.About 400 paintings and thousands of sketches came to light after Tucker's death and it was hailed as an important discovery in British art.His scenes depicting the streets and pubs of north-west England attracted comparisons with LS Lowry.