A cubist portrait by an enigmatic artist whose work has taken half a century to gain mainstream recognition is being sold by a Lichfield auctioneer.
William Black’s 1968 painting, Girl With A Hat, will go under the hammer at Richard Winterton Auctioneers on Monday (6th March).
More than a metre tall and created in gouache – opaque water-based paint – the work is signed and dated by the artist.
The portrait is estimated to sell for between £500 and £600.
David Fergus, valuer with the auction house, said:
“This is a British artist whose work has emerged from the shadows in recent years.
“Relatively little is known about William Black, but he was working in the 1960s in a variety of styles including abstraction and cubism.
“Apparently an architect by trade, Black was a self-taught artist who moved to Cornwall to work with the St Ives group of artists, where he also produced sculptures and was acquainted with such luminaries as Barbara Hepworth.
“Yet he stood slightly away from the main group and consequently his work has been somewhat underrated until now.”
David Fergus
The full catalogue for the sale is online.
