FRIENDS OF DAME LAURA KNIGHT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2019
Laura Knight painted this watercolour in Lamorna during winter 1916. She had broken her leg whilst jumping over a pile of twigs and branches: ‘I heard a crack above the sound of snapping wood……my leg was broken- no word can describe my rage which even dulled the pain.’ Despite her frustration, she was determined to carry on working. Her dear friend Rev.Bernard Walke (Ber) at St Hilary borrowed an old bath chair and trundled her every day to a pond where children were skating and sliding. She did pencil studies of all the skating figures as she sat in her chair and they provided material for two water colours (Snowballing – above) and ‘The Frozen Pond’ painted in 1946.
Seeing children having fun in the snow is a cheery sight at this time of year and I hope that over the festive period you are able to catch up with friends and family and enjoy good times – snow or no snow!
Looking ahead to the new year, 2020 is a really important year for the Friends of Dame Laura Knight Society. It is the 50th anniversary of Laura’s death and we would love to do something special to celebrate. Your Committee has been hard at work, thinking caps on, imagination sparking and brains storming….. and we have exciting news!
There are a couple of ‘firsts’ for the Society in the pipeline: a publication and an open air art exhibition.
Firstly, the booklet. Heather Whatley, our founding member and vice chair, has been researching our books and archives in preparation of a booklet about ‘Laura Knight in the Malverns’. Although Laura’s biographies cover Malvern, our Society has revealed a good deal about the Knights’ personal life whilst she lived in our town. We are grateful to Heather for the time she has devoted to this project and the knowledge she brings to it. Please let us know if you have any ideas for a book launch event.
The other exciting project is an open air art exhibition, free to all the townsfolk and visitors. It will involve display of 25 copies of Laura Knight’s paintings along Exhibition Walk (outside Waitrose) from mid-June to the end of July 2020. Perfect timing as Dame Laura’s anniversary falls on 7th July. There is much work to be done in planning and preparing for this exhibition and the Society will incur some costs. Evie Knight would welcome ideas for sponsorship to cover these.
As well as our two highlights for 2020, there are several other dates for your diary:
- Friday 7th February Fish and Chip Supper and Quiz Evening at the Mt Pleasant Hotel, Malvern. This is our first get together of the new year and we hope you will all be able to join us for a sociable evening. Meet at 6.30pm in the Dame Laura Knight Suite for supper at 7pm followed by a team quiz. Cost £14. Contact Heather Whatley on 07792 154436 to reserve tickets.
- Friday 3rd April Talk by Marcia Whiting from the Munnings Museum at Dedham on the work of Alfred Munnings. 7.30pm at Elmslie House, Malvern. £5 members/£8 non-members.
- Wednesday 6th May Visit to Barber Institute and Winterbourne House, Birmingham. Return coach travel from Malvern. Tea, coffee, biscuits on arrival. Guided tour of the permanent exhibition and the temporary exhibition ‘Cornwall as Crucible’. Picnic lunch in the grounds of Winterbourne House. Self-guided tour of house, gardens and various other small buildings of interest. Cost £30.
- Malvern Walking Festival 23rd-31st May Following the success of last year’s walk ‘In the Footsteps of Laura Knight’ led by Michael Johnson, there will be another similar walk listed in the brochure which becomes live at the beginning of January. Please check www.malvernwalking.co.uk for details.
- Saturday 13th June Talk by Brian Gorst. Dame Laura Knight: An Artist’s Appreciation. Elmslie House. 3pm Artist and tutor, Brian Gorst, will highlight a number of visual characteristics that combine to make Knight’ work so distinctive, timeless and inspirational. £5 members/£8 non-members.
- We shall be in touch again at the beginning of January with ticket details for the above events but meanwhile please log the dates in your diary
As 2020 is an important Dame Laura Knight anniversary, there are quite a few events and exhibitions around the country which may be of interest:
Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance is planning a Laura Knight Retrospective exhibition 13th June – 12th September 2020. If there is interest from people in the society, it may be possible to plan a trip to visit the exhibition and arrange a guided tour on the basis of making own travelling and accommodation arrangements and meeting at the gallery for the tour. See details of Study Days by Catherine Wallace (on p.4). Catherine is offering a study day on Laura Knight in the Alverne Room,Penzance on 18th June, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition on 19th June.
Royal Academy, Tennant Gallery. Laura Knight R.A : A Working Life. 2nd September 2019 – 2nd February 2020. This is a free exhibition worth popping in to if you are in London. It is a small exhibition but it is accompanied by a lovely book featuring lots of Laura’s sketches (a great Christmas gift for anyone who enjoys Laura’s work).
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery. Female Voices. A celebration of the female artists and designers whose work forms part of the museum collection and the lasting contribution they have created. There is work by Laura Knight, Bridget Riley, Laura Ashley and others. 19th October 2019 – 15th February 2020.
Laing Gallery, Newcastle ‘Challenging Convention : Four Women Artists’ 31st October 2020 – 28th February 2021 (forward planning!) featuring work by Vanessa Bell, Dod Procter, Gwen John and Laura Knight. Challenging Convention weaves the story of their lives and work in a climate of modernisation, change and increasing emancipation.
Contact Catherine directly if you are interested: cwallace@talktalk.net
And finally, news of Laura Knight’s work at auction this year.
There have been well over 50 pieces which have been sold. Bonhams and Sotherbys are the two most prominent auction houses selling Laura’s work and full details are on their website. Here is a small selection of what has sold and its selling price:
Lot 96AR 20th February 2019
Dame Laura Knight, RA, RWS
(British, 1877-1970)
Charivari (The Grand Parade)
watercolour and gouache over pencil
101.6 x 127cm (40 x 50in).
Executed in 1928
Sold for £ 62,500 inc.premium
Harold Knight, RA, ROI, RP (British, 1874-1961)
Launching Cobles
signed ‘H KNIGHT’ (lower left)
oil on canvas
Sold for £13.812
The Bather
signed ‘Laura Knight’ (lower right)
oil on canvas
46 x 46cm (18 1/8 x 18 1/8in).
Sold for £ 85,062 inc. premium
Dame Laura Knight, RA, RWS (British, 1877-1970)
‘Summer’s day’
signed and dated ‘Laura Knight 1958’ (lower right)
charcoal
25.4 x 35.9cm (10 x 14 1/8in
. Sold for £ 1,020 inc. premium 12th November 2019
20th February 2019
Dame Laura Knight, RA, RWS (British, 1877-1970)
Mousehole Harbour
signed ‘Laura Knight’ (lower left)
watercolour, gouache and black chalk
51 x 31.5cm (20 1/16 x 12 3/8in).
Sold for £8,125
20th February 2019
Dame Laura Knight, RA, RWS (British, 1877-1970) Harvesting, Malvern
signed and dated ‘Laura Knight/1965’ (lower right)
oil on canvas
76.5 x 96.5cm (30 1/8 x 38in).
Sold for £ 22,500 inc. premium
Please have a look at the society’s website for up-to-date news of what’s happening and reviews of what has happened and let us know if you hear of interesting news to pass on to members. We look forward to seeing you on Friday 7th February at our first social event of 2020 but in the meantime very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Evie Knight and DLKS Committee