THIS IS A EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL AND MAGNIFICENT OPPORTUNITY TO OWN ONE OF THE BEST MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE ARTISTS OF BRITISH ART HISTORY AND ARTIST VALENTINE DOBREE

VALENTINE DOBREE 1894 - 1974 MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE- CLOWN, WITH TYPED POEM VERSO, ENTITLED "HOMAGE TO EARTHA KITT" SIGNED AND DATED NOVEMBER 1961, IN GLAZED FRAME.

HOMAGE TO EARTHA KITT (BORN EARTHA MAE KITT, JANUARY 17, 1927 - DECEMBER 25, 2008) WAS AN AMERICAN SINGER, ACTRESS, AUTHOR, AND SONGWRITER KNOWN FOR HER HIGHLY DISTINCTIVE SINGING STYLE AND HER 1953 RECORDINGS OF "C'EST SI BON", BOTH OF WHICH REACHED THE TOP 10 ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 ORSON WELLES ONCE CALLED HER THE " MOST EXCITING WOMAN OF THE WORLD"

POEM VERSO READS

LOST CIRCUS IN THE WINDOW SNARED -
THAT REFUGE FOR THE CHILD UNCARED;
NO FRACTION OF THE WORLD POSSESSED
REMAINS, THE ACHE OF UNCARESSED.

THE ELEPHANT AND TIGER GRANDE,
THE HORSES PRANCE THEIR FOUR-IN-HAND,
THE ACROBATS WHO FLOAT SUPREME,
THE PALE FACE CLOWN WHO HAUNTS THE DREAM.

HIS FEET ARE LARGE, HIS HANDS ARE SMALL,
HIS NOSE IS RED: NO MATCH AT ALL:
SIXES AND SEVENS HE APPEARS
A CONTRADICTION IN HIS WARES.

O LOVELY CLOWN WITH HEAVENLY GRIN:
POSSESS MY HEART :- YOU ARE MY KIN.

SIGNED VALENTINE DOBREE NOVEMBER 1961

VALENTINE DOBREE [1894 - 1974]

VALENTINE DOBREE WAS BORN IN INDIA, DAUGHTER TO SIR AUGUSTUS ALEXANDER BROOK-PECHELL, 7th BARONET AND COLONEL IN THE ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORP WHO WAS STATIONED THERE, FROM THE AGE OF THREE SHE WAS SENT TO ENGLAND FOR HER EDUCATION. IN 1913 SHE MARRIED. BONAAMY DOBREE, A SOLDIER, WHO IN TIME BECAME A NOTABLE MAN OF LETTERS AND PROFESSOR OF LITERATURE AT LEEDS UNIVERSITY. TOGETHER THEY TRAVELED EUROPE AND SETTLED FIRST IN THE FLORENCE AND OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DECADES ALTERNATED BETWEEN HOMES IN CONTINENTAL EUROPE, EGYPT AND EAST ANGLIA.

VALENTINE DOBREE MOVED IN BOHEMIAN CIRCLES DURING ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF BRITISH ART. SHE COUNTED AMONGST HER CLOSEST FRIENDS DORA CARRINGTON, GERALD BRENAN AND RONALD PENROSE, MARK GERTLER WAS ENCHANTED BY HER AND PAINTED HER PORTRAIT IN 1919. VALENTINE WAS BRIEFLY A PUPIL OF ANDRE DURAIN BUT WAS LARGELY SELF-TAUGHT ALTHOUGH NO DOUBT INFLUENCED BY THE AVANT GARDE WORK OF HER CLOSE CIRCLE. SHE EXHIBITED WITH THE LONDON GROUP AND AT THE SALON DES INDEPENDENTS, HER FIRST SOLO SHOW WAS HELD AT LONDON'S CLARIDGE GALLERY IN 1931 BY WHICH TIME A BLOSSOMING LITERARY CAREER, CHAMPIONED BY T.S ELLIOT AND GRAHAM GREENE, WAS TO SOME EXTENT OVERSHADOWING HER ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT. BY THE 1931 EXHIBITION HER WORK WAS MOVING AWAY FROM HER INITIAL FIGURATIVE OILS AND SHE WAS EMBRACING CUBISM AND MIXED MEDIA WITH COLLAGE. THE LARGER WORKS FOR SALE BELONG TO THIS PERIOD

THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND POOR HEALTH CURTAILED HER ART BUT DURING THE 1960S , AFTER A NUMBER OF SERIOUS OPERATIONS, VALENTINE THOUGH BED-BOUND RETURNED AGAIN TO COLLAGE , NOW WORKING WHOLLY FROM TORN OR CUT ELEMENTS TO CREATE SMALL SCALE PIECES WHICH MIGHT LATER BE WORKED INTO LARGER COMPOSITIONS. THE SMALLER PRESENT WORKS BELONG TO THIS GROUP. THE 1960S SAW A GENERAL RE - BLOOMING OF CREATIVITY FOR VALENTINE WITH EXHIBITIONS AT THE ZWEMMER GALLERY AND FURTHER CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED LITERARY PUBLICATIONS.

THE PRESENT WORKS ARE BY DIRECT FAMILY DESCENT FROM THE ARTIST. THE WORKS WERE FEATURED IN A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION HELD BY THE UNIVERSITY GALLERY, LEEDS 4TH OF OCTOBER TO THE 10TH OF NOVEMBER 200O.

VALENTINE DOBREE'S WORK HAS FEATURED ONLY INFREQUENTLY AT AUCTION AND FOR SALE ON THE CURRENT MARKET THE PRESENT PAINTINGS REPRESENT RARE EXAMPLES OF A TRULY INNOVATIVE MODERN BRITISH ARTIST.