Laidlaw Auctioneers & Valuers
Lot 1443
Frank Vernon Martin (1921 - 2005)"Louise", a wistful portrait of the American actress Louise Brooks enveloped in fur, drypoint, artist's proof, signed by artist in graphite, in double card mount and contemporary ebonised frame under glass, 64 cm x 51 cm overall, together with Louise Brooks, "Lulu in Hollywood", Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1982, first edition in dust jacket, Tom Graves, "My afternoon with Louise Brooks", Devault Graves Books, Memphis, 2011, signed by the author, and two other biographical works[Martin was born in Dulwich, South London in 1921 and grew up attending the theatre alongside his mother, who worked as an actress in the 1920s-1930s. This sparked a lifelong fascination with the acting profession and reinforced his love of the movies, making him an avid filmgoer and inspiring numerous works later in life.The artist began studying history at Oxford, but decided to pursue an artistic career after being commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1941. Upon his return, he enrolled in the printing department of Saint Martin's School of Art, London where he was taught by prominent etchers and wood engravers; Clifford Webb and Gertrude Hermes.He began his professional career as a freelance illustrator, wood engraver and commercial artist; illustrating fashion for The Sunday Times. He also produced works for other books, magazines and private clients; receiving eight major Folio Society commissions, designing a letterhead for British author/journalist Evelyn Waugh and creating cover illustrations for the Oxford Standard Authors series. One such Folio Society rendering, for Stendhal's Scarlet and Black, was praised as "the best series of post-war English illustrations". He taught his craft at the Camberwell School of Art, becoming Senior Lecturer and later Head of Department. He retired in 1980, devoting the last 25 years of his life to his art and producing limited-edition prints. His favourite and most renowned works, those of Hollywood actresses of the silent movie era, ooze nostalgia and present an adoration of women, their intelligence and beauty. No doubt inspired by a childhood immersed in his mother's aura and the glamour of her profession.His work is held in public and private collections worldwide. These include Tate and Victoria and Albert Museum, London and in the private collections of actor Sir Michael Caine and musician Sir Elton John.Numerous solo exhibitions include locations such as Folio Society, National Film Theatre, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Editions Graphiques Gallery, Atrium Gallery and the Leeds International Film Festival. ]
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