Sir Herbert James Gunn, R.A. (1893-1964)

After studying at Glasgow and Edinburgh Schools of Art, divided, like his near contemporary Sir Alfred Munnings, by time as a commercial artist, Gunn enrolled at the Academy Julien in Paris in 1911. It was here that he honed his skills at creating elegant and tonally-balanced cityscapes, often painted on small boards. Parallels can be drawn with the still-lives and downland landscapes of William Nicholson, whose associate James Pryde, Gunn painted to great acclaim in 1924, establishing him as a portrait painter of high regard.

Admiralty Arch from Pall Mall most probably dates from 1925 when the artist first took a permanent home in London and was still signing his pictures 'H J Gunn'. It comes from the collection of George Balfour (1872-1941), an important early patron of Gunn, whose portrait he painted in 1930. Balfour, with his business partner Andrew Beatty founded the eponymous multi-national construction company Balfour Beatty. Like Gunn, Balfour hailed from Scotland, but in 1918 became M.P. for Hampstead and remained so until his death in 1941.