Posted Date: 11 February 2010
HOWSON’S FIRST WORK MAKES £1400 AT AUCTION
A drawing which sold for a penny in 1970 and which is believed to be the first work ever sold by internationally acclaimed artist Peter Howson has been sold for £1400 at auction in Glasgow.
The pencil drawing ‘Mr Ness, English Teacher at Prestwick Academy’ is understood to be the earliest known work by Howson to come up for auction and was drawn and then sold by the artist when he was a 12 year old pupil at Prestwick Academy.
Estimated at between £1,000 and £1,500 before the auction, the sale has made the seller, who wishes to remain anonymous, a return of many thousand per cent on his investment.
Prior to the sale Peter Howson confirmed the authenticity of the picture and was said to be "highly amused" to see it again after 40 years.
The drawing was one of eighty Howson works - most with no reserve prices – that featured in McTear’s Scottish Contemporary Art Auction. The lots ranged from etchings which secured several hundred pounds each to Howson’s 2010 pastel, ‘Robert Burns’, which sold for £2000.
The auction also featured a further 250 paintings by a host of other top artists including Muriel Barclay, Alison Watt, Ethel Walker, Alexandra Gardner, Gerard Burns, John Bellany, Graham McKean and the late Steven Campbell.
Commenting on the sale Magda Ketterer from McTear’s said: “
The sale was a huge success with many lots exceeding their estimates. We always knew that ‘Mr Ness’ would attract a lot of interest so we were not surprised to see it make such a good price on the night. The drawing provides a fascinating insight into the young artist and it has certainly provided an excellent return on investment for the seller.”
This press release was issued on behalf of McTears Auctioneers by
Wave PR.