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Mary Wykeham (British, 1909-1996) Composition 19.3 x 28.7 cm. (7 5/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
Mary Wykeham (British, 1909-1996) Composition signed and dated 'Mary Wykeham 1947' (lower right) watercolour, pen and ink 19.3 x 28.7 cm. (7 5/8 x 11 3/8 in.) Footnotes: Provenance With The Zwemmer Gallery, London With The London Gallery, London Private Collection, U.K. Literature Silvano Levy, Mary Wykeham: Surrealist out of the Shadows, Lund Humphries, London, 2023, p.98 (col.ill.) Mary Wykeham's Composition (1947) comes at a pivotal time in the artist's life. Earlier that year, her father had tragically taken his own life in the family garden, prompting a seismic shift in her general outlook on life, especially in terms of her spiritual mindset. She delved heavily into Daoist philosophy, finding solace and comfort in the serenities of its teaching, and she began to practice meditation daily. The present work represents a visual development of this interest, a highly spiritual work, illustrative of the enormous positive development from her initial grief catalysed by her Daoist engagement. The setting can be seen as her family garden, adorned with Daoist-related esoteric symbols, birds in flight up and away from the earth towards whatever in her metaphysical paradigm lied beyond. Wykeham's spirituality continued to develop to the point where she was to dedicate the rest of her life to it. She became a nun in 1950, some three years after she executed this work – a move accompanied by the destruction of a significant portion of her artistic output. Composition, in transit from an exhibition at The London Gallery, evaded the cull, continuing to offer a window into Wykeham's emotional and spiritual mindset in such a defining moment of her life. We are grateful to Dr Silvano Levy for his assistance in cataloguing this lot. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing
Mary Wykeham (British, 1909-1996) Composition signed and dated 'Mary Wykeham 1947' (lower right) watercolour, pen and ink 19.3 x 28.7 cm. (7 5/8 x 11 3/8 in.) Footnotes: Provenance With The Zwemmer Gallery, London With The London Gallery, London Private Collection, U.K. Literature Silvano Levy, Mary Wykeham: Surrealist out of the Shadows, Lund Humphries, London, 2023, p.98 (col.ill.) Mary Wykeham's Composition (1947) comes at a pivotal time in the artist's life. Earlier that year, her father had tragically taken his own life in the family garden, prompting a seismic shift in her general outlook on life, especially in terms of her spiritual mindset. She delved heavily into Daoist philosophy, finding solace and comfort in the serenities of its teaching, and she began to practice meditation daily. The present work represents a visual development of this interest, a highly spiritual work, illustrative of the enormous positive development from her initial grief catalysed by her Daoist engagement. The setting can be seen as her family garden, adorned with Daoist-related esoteric symbols, birds in flight up and away from the earth towards whatever in her metaphysical paradigm lied beyond. Wykeham's spirituality continued to develop to the point where she was to dedicate the rest of her life to it. She became a nun in 1950, some three years after she executed this work – a move accompanied by the destruction of a significant portion of her artistic output. Composition, in transit from an exhibition at The London Gallery, evaded the cull, continuing to offer a window into Wykeham's emotional and spiritual mindset in such a defining moment of her life. We are grateful to Dr Silvano Levy for his assistance in cataloguing this lot. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing
British Surrealism
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