McTear's Sets an Auction Record for Herbert Whone

The Scottish Contemporary Auction set the year off to a great start with some outstanding hammer results.

The highlight of the auction was the record breaking hammer price for Herbert Whone’s ‘Back – Court Anderson’ (lot 1705). With plenty of competition in the room, on the internet, and on the phones, the painting soared well above the higher end of the estimate, with a final hammer of £6,500. This surpassed McTear’s previous Whone record hammer from December’s The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction, when ‘Coal-Cart on a Winter Morning, Charing Cross, Glasgow’ reached £2,800. These outstanding results suggest that now is the time to sell work by Whone, an artist in every sense of the word; After education at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the Royal Northern College of Music) and Manchester University, he secured positions in the Royal Opera House Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, before moving to Glasgow in 1955, where he took up the position of deputy leader of the Scottish National Orchestra. He was inspired by Glasgow's changing fortunes and painted a series of notable canvases featuring the beauty of a city in transition. His painting of trams and shipbuilding, to pick two of his fondest subjects, were presented with warmth and beauty, almost impressionistic in their depiction of glowing sunsets and use of rich colour. ‘Back – Court Anderson’ is one of the finest examples of the artist’s work, and will be a central piece for the winning bidder’s collection.

Another outstanding hammer price was achieved with Alison Watt’s ‘A Study for Fishing’ (lot 1708) at £7,000. John Bellany’s ‘Past and Present’ (lot 1713) reached a hammer of £4,600, as work by the artist continues to attract national and international interest and competition. International artist are also proving successful, with an exception work by Alireza Sadreddini entitled ‘Silent Pain’ (lot 1748), an alluring and pensive photograph by a renowned Iranian artist. While named The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction, work by local and international artists continues to bring high hammer prices and great sales results.