Rare Glasgow Painting To Go Under The Hammer

A rare Glasgow landscape by one of Scotland’s leading 20^th Century artists will light up McTear’s Scottish Contemporary Art Auction in May.

The bold and colourful work by John Cunningham (1926-1998), which shows a bright spring day on the River Clyde looking towards Glasgow’s east end, could fetch £6,000 when it goes under the hammer on 9 May.  

Glasgow Cityscape is classic Cunningham, with the artist’s use of vibrant colour and bold brushstrokes giving the work a wonderful freshness and vitality with the immediacy of the moment captured.

Commenting on the auction, McTear’s Director, Magda Ketterer, said: “John Cunningham was a giant of the Scottish art community during his lifetime, with his reputation continuing to grow following his death in 1998.  His work can be found in galleries and private collections at home and overseas, with his stunning landscapes and seascapes attracting huge interest when they appear at auction.  

“The artist’s oil on canvas, Sanna Bay, Ardnamurchan, sold for an impressive £13,000 (hammer) at McTear’s in March and we see similar interest building ahead of the May auction.”

Born in 1926 in Lanarkshire, the eldest of seven children, John Cunningham attended Glasgow School of Art (GSA) from 1943 to 1950 (excluding war service), returning to the GSA as a senior lecturer from 1967 to 1985.  Although he painted in France, Spain, Italy and Ireland over the years, Cunningham had a passion for Scotland’s west coast and returned time and again to capture the landscapes of the area.  

Glasgow Cityscape will be one of 278 lots in McTear’s The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction on Thursday 9 May.  The sale will feature an impressive collection of leading Scottish artists including John Bellany, Peter Howson, Gerard Burns, Graham McKean, John Byrne, Alexander Millar and John Lowrie Morrison, amongst others.