Description
Harry Riley R.I. - Original Early 20th Century Watercolour. With body colour. Signed with monogram. On board. In fine condition.Harry Riley (1895 - 1966). Harry Riley (1895-1966) was a popular and prolific, principally commercial, British artist, who flourished from the 1920s until the 1960s. This collection comprises his remaining studio, offered to the market by his granddaughter and numbers over 100 lots. Harry Riley is iconic in British Post War art history. As a poster artist and commercial illustrator his work was seen by millions on trains, in the underground, in magazines and on TV. However relatively few of his works were sold to the public, so this represents a unique opportunity to acquire his original oils, pastels and watercolours. Harry Riley was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and was a member of, and at one time president of, The London Sketch Club. The collection includes a series of sketches of life classes attended by his fellow artists. From his own collection of original artwork also included in the sale are works by John Hassall, O.E Brabbins, Frederick Donald Blake and Edward Wesson, friends and fellow members of the Wapping Group of artists. The familiar railway posters, for which he is probably best known, show sunny beaches, suave men, fashionable women and perfect Janet and John children escaping from drab grey homes radiating happiness in Aberystwyth, Barmouth, Cardigan, Porthcawl, Penzance, Weston super Mare, Woolacombe, Mortehoe, Newquay and Plymouth. His commercial drawings were iconic in setting the style for a generation through fashion journals, motoring ads, and comics. Specialising as a figure artist, he drew for Fortnum and Mason, Selfridges, The Champion, The Girls Favourite, The Autocar, British Rail, BOAC, Qantas and many others. As well as being an accomplished cartoonist for The Daily Mail, he presented drawing on TV in the '50s. He produced WWII poster propaganda and wrote articles for the press. He was a character actor and variety entertainer and even modelled for his illustrations of Burton clothes.""" From a collection of watercolours, gouaches, oils and pastels by Harry Riley obtained from a studio sale. Many are signed.
Size
14.5 x 23cm (5.7" x 9.1")
Collection Information
From a collection of watercolours, gouaches, oils and pastels by Harry Riley obtained from a studio sale. Many are signed.
Sulis Fine Art Historian Yasmin Namdjou MA has written an Artist Spotlight piece on Harry Riley R.I.
which you can read here.See More Like This
For our full collection of these click here
