JULIAN TREVELYAN RA - Africa

A very rare etching by Julian Trevelyan which we cannot find elsewhere for sale and can only find an annotated proof of the etching online which was sold at Christies. 

Titled Africa in pencil (Cat. Raisonee Turner 215), aquatint and soft ground etching from 1969 signed and titled in pencil and denoted artists proof.  Striking image of a lone elephant with a bird perched on top of its head by a lake with mountainous backdrop.

Measurements: 47 x 35 cm plate size

Condition: The work has endured some discolouration to the sheet due to time toning of the paper and exposure to light over many years.  There is fading / loss of colour, particularly the once violet tones of the clouds and rocky ground areas when you compare it to the example proof sold at Christies.  It was never a brightly coloured work but clearly more muted now and this is reflected in the price, however still a really super and extremely rare Trevelyan piece for a collector.

 Will be gently rolled for shipping, can be combined with other suitable works for £1 additional postage (£3 overseas).

Highly collected artist and printmaker recognised as an innovator of modern printing techniques, and a driving force in the field of etching. He had little formal training other than under Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17 (1930-4). It was during this time that he became influenced by surrealism and was a founding member of the English surrealist group in 1936 – exhibiting work at the groundbreaking International Surrealism exhibition in London the same year. He had his first one man show at the Lefevre gallery in 1937, became a member of the London Group in 1948 and taught at Chelsea and the Royal College of Art where he became head of the Etching Department. His students included David Hockney, R B Kitaj and Norman Ackroyd.  He travelled widely with his 2nd wife, Mary Fedden, and many of the locations he visited were captured in his works.