John Piper (1903-1992)
Widely considered to be one of the most significant artists of the 20th century John Piper was born in the spa town of Epsom, Surrey in 1903. The youngest of three brothers Piper spent much of his childhood exploring and painting the local countryside and structures. Following the death of his father in 1927 Piper was able to follow his creative desires by enrolling at the Richmond School of Art but left without graduating in 1929.
During the 1930’s he held various exhibitions in London and became involved in the Seven and Five Society of modern artists and the London Group surrounding himself with avant-garde artists to include Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. This no doubt influenced his work and it is during this period he experimented with different materials creating collages and abstract work.
In 1935 he relocated to an abandoned farmhouse in Fawley Bottom with acclaimed British art critic and opera librettist Myfanwy Piper (1911-1997) who he would later marry. Together they founded the art magazine Axis and Piper found himself at the forefront of the modernist movement in Britain.
Shortly after the outbreak of World War II in 1939 Piper became an official war artist for the War Artists’ Advisory Committee spanning the years 1940 – 44. It was during this harrowing period he further developed his interest and passion for depicting architectural structures. However, gone were the derelict ruined chapels, instead replaced by recently bombed churches and buildings captured with the devastation still hanging tragically in the air.
In 1962 John and Myfanwy purchased a suitably ruined studio near Garn Fawr in Pembrokeshire. Situated at the foothill of a crag, and a stone’s throw from the magnificent views of the North Pembrokeshire coast and Strumble Head, it was an idyllic retreat for the couple when visiting Wales and the perfect place for Piper to further hone his exceptional skill as a landscape artist.
It was just a few hundred yards away from this location, that in the Autumn 2019 we were excitedly called in to assess an original artwork by John Piper.
The signed and dated work on paper depicted a wonderfully moody and dramatic composition of nearby St Davids in watercolour, ink, and gouache and arrived in beautiful condition with glorious provenance. The painting was a gift from the artist to the vendor's late husband in 1980. John & Myfanwy Piper owned two cottages with accompanying land, and they permitted the vendors to graze sheep on the Piper's land. In turn the vendor's husband kept the hedges, bracken and gorse under control while ensuring the water was flowing freely to the artist's cottage.
The vendor recalled '... the picture was their amazing gift to my husband for his many kindnesses which he really considered to be an honour to carry out.'
A fresh-to-market original work by an artist of such significance coupled with cast-iron provenance is a rare occurrence and led us to set a pre-auction estimate of £10,000-£15,000 which was overtaken by a final hammer price of £19,000.
Follow the links below to hear Welsh TV personality Arfon Haines Davies discuss this work of St Davids in more detail (Welsh / Cymraeg):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cg82ENTrI0
and watch auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones find a new home for this wonderful piece on auction day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQNvoL1Q_Pw
John Piper’s talents extend over a multitude of disciplines including printmaking, stained glass production and theatre and opera set design. We are delighted to regularly handle original works, limited edition prints and literature containing his wonderful illustrations.
If you have any work by John Piper, you would like appraising for possible sale or to obtain an up to date insurance valuation please contact:
Ben Rogers Jones ben.rogersjones@rogersjones.co.uk
