7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'Lost' collection of Joan Eardley sketches to go under the hammer
A 'lost' collection of works by the artist Joan Eardley which was kept by her close friend and confidante after her death is to go under the hammer.
The 'remarkable' collection of eleven small pastel and charcoal drawings were contained in a sketchbook given to her fellow artist Angus Neil, who struggled with his mental health following her death and spent most of his life in an institution.
After her death in 1963, he gave the book of drawings to a Glasgow doctor who helped him, and it remained in his family's possession until now.
Eardley, one of the UK's most renowned artists, painted scenes of Glasgow street children and vast landscapes at Catterline on the north east coast of Scotland.
Neil, himself an accomplished artist met Eardley at the Scottish art school Hospitalfield House in Arbroath in 1947. The pair became close friends and would often stay in her Townhead studio for long periods of time.
Blue Jersey, by Joan Eardley (Image: Lyon and Turnbull) When she moved to Catterline, Neil helped to renovate her cottage and became a fixture around the small fishing village.
A veteran of WWII, Neil suffered shellshock and struggled with his mental health for the rest of his life.
When Eardley died of cancer in 1963 aged only 42, Neil, distraught at the loss of his supportive friend, was admitted to Sunnyside Royal Hospital, a psychiatric hospital near Montrose.
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The pieces from the sketchbook, which will be sold at Lyon & Turnbull's Scottish Paintings & Sculpture auction, alongside other Eardley paintings.
