Family connections: Personal collection famous Welsh artists Gwilym Prichard and Claudia Williams comes to auction
10 March 2025 Among the most notable art sales already announced for the early summer is the family collection of works by Gwilym Prichard (1931-2015) and Claudia Williams (1933-2024).
La Chambre, an oil on board by Claudia Williams, is believed to depict the artist herself and her husband Gwilym Prichard. The doll's house seen in the reflection of the convex mirror was seemingly one made by Prichard himself which was kept in the bedroom of their property in Rochfort en Terre which overlooked the local church. The painting is estimated £4000-8000 at Rogers Jones. View the catalogue entry for this Claudia Williams painting.
Comprising 142 lots, the dedicated sale being held by Rogers Jones on May 23 features works stored in the attic of the renowned husband and wife team of modern Welsh art.
Prichard and Williams tended to paint very different subjects and in contrasting styles. The former favoured landscapes with thickly applied paint, while Williams' body of work was generally figurative and family focused, often with a warm subject matter such as a family gathering at the beach or a music lesson in a cosy room.
Ben Rogers Jones said: “'Gwilym Prichard and Claudia Williams are the most celebrated husband and wife team of the Welsh art story.
“The collection is akin to a life-long family album documenting two artistic lives. There are landscapes of where the artists started their lives together, there are landscapes of where they embarked on their artistic adventures further afield, and there are landscapes of where Claudia and Gwilym finally settled back in Wales.”
The Red Music Room by Claudia Williams, an oil on canvas which is signed, dated 2001 and carries a label for Martin Tinney Gallery. According to the artist’s family, Williams loved grand pianos and had a small one at their home in Picton Road, Tenby. The painting is estimated £4000-8000 at Rogers Jones. View the catalogue entry for this Claudia Williams painting.
He added: “We have arranged the catalogue in a chronological order, starting in north Wales were they met as a young couple and began their artistic journey together. Following this is a section on their overseas travels – they lived in Greece and in France where they painted prolifically and established a buying market in Brittany.
“The final part of the catalogue represents their homecoming to Wales when they settled in Tenby.
“It is a great honour to be offering the family collection of Gwilym Prichard and Claudia Williams. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the family for their trust and their confidence.”
Hearts are Trumps by Claudia Williams, a signed oil on canvas dating from 2000. It is estimated £3500-7000 at Rogers Jones. View the catalogue entry for this Claudia Williams painting.
Tenby street scene with buildings and figures by Gwilym Prichard. The oil on canvas is signed with the artist’s initials and is also fully signed and dated 2005 on the back. It is estimated £1000-2000 at Rogers Jones. View the catalogue entry for this Gwilym Prichard painting.
Farm in a landscape by Gwilym Prichard, a signed oil on canvas. It is believed to be an early view of Anglesey by the artist and is estimated £2000-3500 at Rogers Jones. View the catalogue entry for this Gwilym Prichard painting.
Full catalogue for the Gwilym Prichard and Claudia Williams sale.
