Live Auction 538920th Century British Art
Vanessa Bell (1879-1961)
Lot 103

Vanessa Bell (1879-1961)

Design for lorry bill for Shell B.P.: Alfriston

Closed16 July 2008

Price Realised

GBP 10,625

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Vanessa Bell (1879-1961)
Design for lorry bill for Shell B.P.: Alfriston
signed with initials and inscribed 'Poster Design VB' (on the reverse)
oil on paper
20¼ x 29½ in. (51.4 x 74.9 cm.)
Painted in 1930.

The artist's estate.
with Anthony d'Offay, London, where purchased by Reader's Digest Association Inc. in January 1984.
Property from the Reader's Digest Association Inc.; Christie's, London, 19 November 2004, lot 46, where purchased by the present owner.

Specialist note

This work was painted as a large lorry bill for Shell. Frances Spalding comments, 'Vanessa and Duncan were also two of the first artists to be employed by Jack Beddington when in 1929 he was put in charge of publicity by Shell-Mex Ltd. Duncan made St Ives bridge in Huntingdonshire his motif, while Vanessa chose Alfriston church in Sussex' (see F. Spalding, loc. cit.).