Live Auction 772920th Century British Art
Christie’s roundel
Lot 24

Sir Stanley Spencer, R.A. (1881-1959)

Avalanche, Switzerland

Closed21 May 2009

Price Realised

GBP 91,250

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Sir Stanley Spencer, R.A. (1881-1959)
Avalanche, Switzerland
signed with initials and dated 'SS 36' (lower right)
oil on canvas
18 x 22 in. (45.7 x 55.9 cm.)

Commissioned by Sir Edward Beddington-Behrens in 1935.
Purchased by F. Scaramanga from the artist in 1936.
with Leger Gallery, London, 1947.
Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 1952.
with Agnew's, London.

Specialist note

In 1933 Spencer created a small group of paintings after a visit to Sir Edward Beddington-Behrens at Saas Fee, a village in the Swiss Alps. Spencer's patron hoped that the religious lives of the Alpine villagers would provide him with inspiration for a series of works. The artist made a second journey in 1935 after which he painted the present work, which draws on the themes in his largest painting from the series A Souvenir of Switzerland (private collection).