23rd Apr, 2026 10:00
John Tunnard – The Brian Whitton Collection: Their Lives and Work
§ John Tunnard - The False Mocha Comes True | mixed media
John Tunnard
(1900-1971)
The False Mocha Comes True,
signed and dated 'John Tunnard 37' (lower right),
pencil, watercolour, bodycolour, pen, brush, black ink and coloured crayon,
24.5 x 37.5cms, 40 x 52cms in frame.
Provenance:
- Julian Trevelyan RA, who acquired it directly from the artist.
- Purchased by the vendor at Christie's Sale, No 5795, Post War, Lot 23, 30 May 1997 - catalogued as 'Composition with Two Figures'
Exhibited:
- London Group Unofficial Show, February 1938, Held at Leicester Galleries.
- 'Julian (Trevelyan)'s December 1938'
Literature:
Alan Peat and Brian A. Whitton, John Tunnard, His Life and Work, Scolar Press, 1997, cat 86
Comments:
A reviewer from Western Morning News on the Leicester Galleries 1938 Exhibition commented
"suggests a vague dream, and might be interpreted in many ways ... and consists of unfinished geometrical shapes suggestive of the figures of a man, the form of a fish, the moon, and various implements, all of which are drawn in black and placed in a vivid background of deep pink merging into blood-red. Mr Tunnard's representation of human figure is reminiscent of the modern work of the sculptor Mr Henry Moore, but his geometrical technique is essentially his own, and it is easy to recognise one of his drawings at an exhibition. It is a pity that Mr Tunnard's work is so obscure, for even after a long examination of his drawings, many onlookers are unable to extract much meaning from them."
Sold for £6,000
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Auction: John Tunnard – The Brian Whitton Collection: Their Lives and Work, 23rd Apr, 2026
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