Share post
Please enjoy this short article on the Scottish Colourists by Kerry Hall at Quastel Associates;
Following a recent visit to a client’s property, where they had an impressive and extensive Scottish Colourist collection, we thought it would be a great time to shine a light on these four prominent artists and their lasting appeal in the art market.
The Scottish Colourists consist of Samuel John Peploe, Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, George Leslie Hunter and John Duncan Fergusson. Although not a tight artistic group, they were all born in Scotland in the 1870’s and they all travelled to France where they were immensely influenced by artists such as Manet, Cezanne, Matisse and groups like the Impressionists and the Fauves. While in France they adopted the French style of using bold colour and a loose brushstroke to capture light, shade, and atmosphere. They are credited with bringing this vibrant colour and style back to Britain in the 1920’s.
Although they only exhibited together on 3 occasions, the group were officially linked by an art historian in the 1950’s due to their similar styles and influence. Initially Peploe, Hunter and Cadell were labelled the ‘Three Scottish Colourists’ with Fergusson later being associated with the group in the 1980’s. Cadell and Peploe did have a close friendship however and clearly inspired one another while living close by in Edinburgh in the 1920’s.
The Scottish Colourists favoured landscapes, still lifes and interior scenes as their subject matter, the former being painted en plain air to capture the ever-changing light across the landscape. Both Peploe and Cadell travelled to the French island of Cassis and the Scottish island of Iona and works of these locations are prominent in their catalogues. Perhaps the Colourists most famous subject is their still lifes, however and these works often command the highest hammer prices at auction. Peploe was always striving to create the perfect still life and would often spend countless hours (or days) arranging the ideal composition before painting the scene in one sitting.
As the artists painted continually throughout their lives, their artworks are in plentiful supply meaning that they frequently come up at auction, sometimes being the focus of the auction. Looking at auctions in the last few years, it is the still lifes which have stolen the show. In 2021, Bonhams sold Peploe’s ‘Still Life with Tureen and Fruit’ for £225,000 (incl. premium) which was almost double its estimate. Fast forward 2 years and in June this year, Lyon and Turnbull sold Cadell’s ‘Still Life with Tulips’ for £320,000 when it had been estimated to sell for £100,000-£150,000. In fact, the Lyon and Turnbull Scottish Colourist auction saw a 60% increase on its equivalent the year before. This shows that demand is not only there but also increasing.
It is worth noting that not all Scottish Colourist works have increased or exceeded estimate, however. The more desirable works with better compositions and use of colour tend to have success whereas less desirable works can fall short of their predictions. This highlights that it is not simply having a Scottish Colourist that counts, it is having one of their exemplary and sought after works. With their modern, fresh, and colourful takes on landscapes or still lifes, it is easy to see why they still fit in the modern home.
