23rd Apr, 2026 10:00
John Tunnard – The Brian Whitton Collection: Their Lives and Work
§ John Tunnard - Diabolo | gouache
John Tunnard
(1900-1971)
"Diabolo",
signed, inscribed VI.G.21 and dated 1960,
gouache,
35 x 54cms, 52 x 70cms in frame.
Exhibition:
- Durlacher, New York, 'John Tunnard', 1-26.11.60 No. 21
- Royal Academy Exhibition, 1966 No.194
- Redfern Gallery, 'John Tunnard 1900-1971, Paintings and Gouaches', 8.3-2.477 No.29
Illustrated:
Gordon Hepworth Galleries
Provenance:
Bonhams Auction, 19.9.79 lot no.28, sold £450 (possibly Diabolo 1944)
Alan Peat and Brian A. Whitton, John Tunnard, His Life and Work, Scolar Press, 1997, cat 727.
Notes:
Tunnard refused to submit paintings to the Royal Academy for some thirty years because of a deep dislike of Alfred Munnings, the Academy President. After Munnings death in 1959, he started exhibiting, with this work, one of a few submitted.
A popular Edwardian toy, the Diabolo form was used by Tunnard throughout his career. It gave him an instrument for conveying two sides of a story, for example, past and future, or good and evil. In this instance, we have multiple angular structures that are in conflict. Many natural forms are depicted, including antlers, branches, and feathers, all competing to survive. Tunnard had concerns about human activity on the natural world, which seem very forward-thinking given what we know today.
Sold for £4,500
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Auction: John Tunnard – The Brian Whitton Collection: Their Lives and Work, 23rd Apr, 2026
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