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Lot 123
Gertrude Hermes, R.A. (1901-1983)
Butterfly
Closed19 March 2015
Price Realised
GBP 56,250
More Information
Specialist note
‘I tried to show in one complete piece of wood the perfect balance of the butterfly...it is not symmetrical…it is not meant to be.’ Gertrude Hermes
As an artist in the interwar years, Hermes’ style thrived under the tutelage of Leon Underwood at Brook Green School of Art, where she studied from 1921-1925. The influence of Primitivism and artists such as Brancusi and Gaudier-Brzeska is also evident in her work of this period.
Gertrude Hermes was seduced by the natural world from her youth. This is apparent from her early choice of subjects which predominantly encompassed organic matter such as plants, animals, birds and insects. In preparation for the present work, she studied butterflies in the countryside for two years. Butterfly has been selected for several major exhibitions since its debut at the 1937 London Group exhibition. Most recently it was chosen to represent Hermes at the fiftieth anniversary exhibition of the London Group, held at Ben Uri Gallery in 2013-14. Also selected for the back cover of Jane Hill’s monograph on the artist, Butterfly remains one of Hermes’s most accomplished carvings and enduring images.
As an artist in the interwar years, Hermes’ style thrived under the tutelage of Leon Underwood at Brook Green School of Art, where she studied from 1921-1925. The influence of Primitivism and artists such as Brancusi and Gaudier-Brzeska is also evident in her work of this period.
Gertrude Hermes was seduced by the natural world from her youth. This is apparent from her early choice of subjects which predominantly encompassed organic matter such as plants, animals, birds and insects. In preparation for the present work, she studied butterflies in the countryside for two years. Butterfly has been selected for several major exhibitions since its debut at the 1937 London Group exhibition. Most recently it was chosen to represent Hermes at the fiftieth anniversary exhibition of the London Group, held at Ben Uri Gallery in 2013-14. Also selected for the back cover of Jane Hill’s monograph on the artist, Butterfly remains one of Hermes’s most accomplished carvings and enduring images.