Evelyn Dunbar, An English Calendar, 1938, Oil on canvas, 72 x 72 in. (183 x 183 cm) Exhibited: Wildenstein’s 1938 Collection: Archives Imperial College London; Photograph: Richard Valencia © Christopher Campbell-Howes, Courtesy of Liss Llewellyn Fine Art
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Modern British Art.
Guy Schooling said: “My first pick for 2017 is the same as last year – the rising fortunes for the likes of John Nash, Cedric Morris and Kenneth Rowntree. Morris saw major auction records set and his star continues to rise, while the others also did well. Depending on the availability of works, in 2017 we will see Morris pursued to greater heights, and I would also keep an eye on Christopher Wood, who shot to prominence in 2016 and whose catalogue raisonné is in the offing. John Nash, John Aldridge of the Great Bardfield artists, who is already on the rise, and – again if works become available – John Nash, Peter Schmidt, William Roberts and Evelyn Dunbar, are all in my sights.”
Female Artists
The search for new names and the best works continues to grow. Expect high prices for female artists who have been written out of the history of art, and whose newly-discovered work will be central to future museum exhibitions. This will, as ever, affect the art market. Gallery owners, dealers and museums will place great emphasis on finding new, hidden artistry like Hilma af Klint, and the best work by artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, Irma Stern and Frida Khalo, who already enjoy high profiles, will continue to achieve strong prices at auction. Frida Kahlo’s Dos Desnudos en el Bosque sold for $8m (£6.5m) at Christie’s in 2016. Not only was this a world auction record for Khalo, it was also the highest price paid for a work by a Latin American artist.
