PRESS RELEASE
THE ART FUND HELPS GALLERY SECURE MASTERPIECE AT RECORD BREAKING PRICE
FALMOUTH Art Gallery has acquired a masterpiece by British artist Thomas Cooper Gotch, who has strong connections to Falmouth. Entitled Innocence, the imaginative watercolour depicts the artist’s only child, Phyllis, with a dragon. The Art Fund has generously given £20,000 towards the £32,000 acquisition.
Thomas Cooper Gotch had strong connections with Falmouth and is central to the study of Cornish art. He is known for having spent time at the acclaimed Newlyn artists’ colony in Cornwall.
This small but beautifully executed painting shows off Gotch’s watercolour skills. The subject of the young girl and dragon represents innocence and experience. Gotch explained it as the child “standing alone and unafraid in the innermost, horridest home of the Dragon, called the World, who is powerless against her innocence.” In preparing the work Gotch spent time researching the dragon in books of heraldry.
Thomas Cooper Gotch RBA RI (1854-1931) was one of the founder members of the revolutionary Newlyn School and a close friend of Stanhope Forbes. He was also an exhibiter in the first Falmouth Art Gallery, having met its founder William Ayerst Ingram during travels in France. Ingram was also a close friend of Whistler, Hemy and Sargent.
Brian Stewart, Director of Falmouth Art Gallery, said: “This important painting shows Gotch at his very best. Whenever it has come onto the market it has sold immediately, the first time in 1904 when Mr Hugh Harman purchased it at Gotch’s private view in Penwith. For this reason it was being sold for £32,000 which is believed to be a record-breaking price for a Gotch watercolour. We are delighted that the Art Fund recognised its importance. Thanks to the generosity of Art Fund members, we were able to return the work to Cornwall and prevent it from being lost again to a private collector, perhaps forever.”
Stephen Deuchar, Director of the Art Fund, said: “Innocence is a wonderful example of Gotch’s fine watercolour skills. His use of vivid colour in this painting is extraordinary, and it is a touching representation of his daughter. It’s wonderful news that the work will now go on show in Falmouth, where Gotch exhibited during his lifetime.”
Thomas Cooper Gotch painted several versions of this work, in different media. Dr Pamela Lomax, author of the definitive book on Thomas Cooper Gotch, describes this version of the work as “outstanding”. She says it is “far better than the oil version, and it is so pleasing that the colours have retained their freshness even though it was painted in 1904”.
This is the second time the Art Fund has supported the Gallery in a record breaking sale. The membership charity previously helped the town acquire A beggar boy by John Opie for £80,000.
Phyllis Gotch, the artist’s daughter, later became the Marquise de Verdieres and established a successful career as a concert singer. In later life she played a leading and role in stopping the Newlyn slum clearances by the council. Thanks to her endeavors the town’s picturesque charm is still enjoyed today.
The Gallery is currently collecting donations towards to purchase of the painting, however small.
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The gallery is open from Monday – Friday, 10 am – 5 pm. Entrance is FREE. For information on any of these events or other workshops please contact the gallery on 01326 313863 or email [email protected]
The Art Fund is a membership charity that helps museums and galleries buy works of art for all to enjoy through awarding grants, campaigning and fundraising. Recent highlights include leading the £3.3 million campaign to save the Staffordshire Hoard, and helping to buy a new commission, Antony Gormley’s 6 Times, for the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. The Art Fund is financed by the generosity of its 80,000 members and supporters who have a passion for art and the institutions that house great collections. For more information contact the Press Office on 020 7225 4888 or visit www.artfund.org.