G R A H A M  S U T H E R L A N D 

1903-1980

A coastal inlet

Pencil, chalk, watercolor and gouache on paper

49 x 40.5 cm

Signed and dated 'Sutherland 1944' (lower right)

PROVENANCE:

Acquired directly from the artist by;

Giorgio Soavi (1923-2008), Milan

Painted in 1944 this landscape depicts the coast during the war, with ‘signal fire stacks’ featuring in the foreground and the sea horizon indicated as a line stemming from the promontory.

The gifted Italian writer Giorgio Soavi was friends with Giacometti (who painted his portrait, like Sutherland), Balthus, de Chirico, among others, as well as Englishman Graham Sutherland.

On his long friendship with Sutherland, Soavi wrote 'When I met Graham Sutherland I knew from the very beginning that I could write on him: my first desire was to become his friend, the second desire that probably anticipated the first one was to collect some of his works for my house in Milan…”.

It must be mentioned that Soavi was not only a storyteller capable of narrating through his writings, he was also an excellent photographer, as Graham Sutherland defined him, he was 'an exceptional photographer'. His photographic guide to Sutherland’s work and subject matter is fundamental in understanding how the artist developed his style - I Luoghi di Graham Sutherland, Albra Editrice 1973.

PRICE £34,000