GEORGE OWEN WYNNE APPERLEY

(British, 1884-1960)

AT THE BULLFIGHT

Watercolor and Gouache on Artists' Sketching Board

18⅜ x 11¾ Inches

Signed Upper Left, "Apperley" and Dated 1925

Additionally Inscribed, Verso, 'Wynne Apperley', Dated 1926 and Titled, 'At the Bullfight'

Accompanied by original receipt for the deposit for purchase, signed by the artist.

Displayed in a substantial and period, carved and painted wood frame.

Framed Dimensions: 24¾ x 3½ x 18 Inches.

 

A fine and detailed painting showing an intimate view of two richly-dressed young women, spectators at a bullfight, viewing the corrida from the shade of a ringside box; an exceptional figural work by this Royal Academician and member of the Royal Institute.

 

Born in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, George Apperley was educated at Eagle House, Sandhurst and at Uppingham School before entering the Herkomer Academy to study art. At Herkomer, his rebellious streak and bohemian lifestyle led to his early expulsion. In 1904, he visited Italy with his tutor, Major Wilkinson, and it was on this trip that he began to seriously apply himself to his art studies.

 

Once committed to his path, Apperly made rapid progress. He first exhibited at London's Royal Academy in 1905 and mounted his first solo exhibition the following year. He continued to exhibit successfully in London and, in 1913, was elected to membership of the Royal Institute of Watercolour Artists. In the same year, he first exhibited at both the Salon des Artistes Françaises in Paris and at the Venice Biennale and, perhaps most importantly for his subsequent artistic direction, in Madrid; for it was here that he developed a lifelong passion for Spanish and Moorish culture that was to provide a central source of his artistic inspiration.

 

In 1917, Apperley was awarded the Prix de Circle des Beaux Arts de Grenade for his entry, 'The Rose'. In 1918, his work was acquired by King Alphonso of Spain for his private collection and also by the Spanish government for the national collection. Over the course of a long and distinguished career, George Apperley continued to exhibit internationally with success and was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards. His honors and decorations for his services to art included his 1945 investment of the Order of King Alphonse the Wise and his 1951 appointment as Academician of Honor at the Académie des Beaux Arts of San Telmo. The artist is well-listed in all relevant biographical reference works including Benezit's definitive Dictionary of Artists and Thieme-Becker's Lexikon.

 

Reference:

E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 1, p. 397; Thieme-Becker Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zu Gegenwart, Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 1, p. 39; The Dictionary of British Artists 1880-1940, J. Johnson and A. Greutzner, 1980 Edition, Antique Collectors’ Club 1976, p. 28; Dictionary of British Art Volume VI: 20th Century Painters and Sculptors, Frances Spalding, Antique Collectors’ Club 1990, p. 54; Mallett’s Index of Artists, Daniel Trowbridge Mallett, Peter Smith: New York 1948 Edition, R.R. Bowker Company 1935, p. 11; et al.