23rd Apr, 2026 10:00
John Tunnard – The Brian Whitton Collection: Their Lives and Work
§ John Tunnard - Starting Point | oil on board
John Tunnard
(1900-1971)
"Starting Point",
signed and dated 1960 and inscribed 'VI O2',
oil on prepared board,
77.5 x 66cms, 93 x 79cms in frame.
Exhibited:
-Royal Academy Exhibition, 1960, No. 460.
-Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts (at McLellan Galleries), October 1960.
-Grey College, Durham University, June 2011 - John Tunnard- His Life and Art from the 1920's to the 1970's.
-John Tunnard: Inner Space to Outer Space - Pallant House Gallery - 13 March -6 June 2010
Provenance and Sales:
-McRoberts and Tunnard to Sir David Scott, 1960/61, for £250;
-Christie's London 4th June 1999, lot 56, £5,200 to Peter Nahum;
-Sold 26th June 2003 by Peter Nahum to Brian Whitton.
Literature:
-Peat (Alan) and Whitton (Brian A.): John Tunnard - His Life and Work - P115, P118 and P120 (illus), P194, (No. 757).
The Witt Collection (of images), Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
Notes:
In 1960, Tunnard was persuaded to submit to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition for the first time since 1931 by his friend, Vivian Pitchforth. Two works were submitted - this one, and another, 'False Dawn'. It had 'the new age of space travel as its theme, with the hint of a launching site or platform.'
Before this, Tunnard had not exhibited for a long period as a matter of principle, believing that the Royal Academy had been less than progressive in its approach. However, in 1960, there was, as the Sunday Times art critic noted, a 'cautious widening of its horizons'. This is believed to have been triggered by the death the previous year of Alfred Munnings, President of the R.A., whose views on hunting, politics, and abstract art were the exact opposite of Tunnard's, but similar to those of his father.
"Starting Point" was painted immediately after France had become the world's fourth nuclear power, when it successfully exploded its first atomic bomb, code-named 'Gerboise Bleue', on 13 February 1960 near the Algerian town of Reggane. The composition may have been inspired by the 100m high scaffolding tower from which the bomb was detonated in the sands of the Sahara desert: the starting point of France's nuclear ambitions.
The work was also included in the 99th annual exhibition of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts held at the McClellan Galleries. The Glasgow Evening Times described it as '...a reminder of the nuclear age in which we live'
Sold for £52,000
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Auction: John Tunnard – The Brian Whitton Collection: Their Lives and Work, 23rd Apr, 2026
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