Sea and Sunrise: Two works by Maggi Hambling coming up for auction
As a long-established East Anglian auction house with deep roots in Suffolk, we always welcome the opportunity to present works by artists connected to the region. Suffolk’s landscape and communities have inspired generations of painters in very different ways, and we have been fortunate to handle a wide range of such works. These have included traditional Victorian pastoral scenes by the Smythe brothers, depictions of agricultural labourers on the cusp of the mechanical age by Harry Becker, the expansive skies of Edward Seago, and local street scenes and portraits by Rose Mead.
More recently, we have had the privilege of offering paintings by Sudbury-born artist Maggi Hambling. A graduate of the East Anglian School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art, Hambling was the first Artist in Residence at the National Gallery.
She is widely known for her powerful and sometimes controversial public sculptures, including The Scallop on Aldeburgh Beach and A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft. Among her many honours are the Jerwood Prize, a CBE, and the Suffolk Medal, which she also designed. Her work is held in major collections worldwide, including the Tate, the Arts Council Collection, and The Hepworth Wakefield.
Although Hambling was initially best known as a portrait painter, during the 1980s she increasingly turned her attention to the landscapes of her native Suffolk. Early morning walks along the Suffolk coast - often witnessing dramatic North Sea storms and the vivid arrival of the morning light - have inspired two recurring themes in her work: Waves and Sunrise. These subjects have developed into celebrated ongoing series that have been widely exhibited in museums and galleries in recent years.
Our March 20th Century Art & Design auction featured one such example from 2020 depicting a leaping fish on the crest of a wave. The evocative painting attracted strong interest from bidders both online and in the saleroom, ultimately selling above estimate to a London gallery for £7,100 (above).
Shortly after that auction, a local art collector contacted us to discuss the sale of several works by Hambling. The two oil paintings consigned to our forthcoming Century 20/21 Art Auction perfectly represent the artist’s enduring engagement with these themes: December Sunrise (2021) and Summer Wave IV (2011).
Both works are signed and dated oil paintings on canvas measuring approximately 25 × 30 cm. They will be offered in our auction on 9th June, alongside a strong selection of modern and contemporary artworks. Entries for additional consignments are welcome until mid-May. If you are considering selling works of art, please contact our offices for advice and valuations.
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