Roseberys London
Lot 27
Harold Knight RA, British 1874-1961 - Portrait of a Girl; oil on canvas, signed lower left 'Harold Knight', 60.5 x 55.8 cm (ARR)Provenance:Christie's, London, 20th Century British Art, 4th March 1998, lot 7; private collection, purchased from the above Note: Knight is perhaps best known for his portraits of women in interiors and here he creates a highly modern composition by setting his subject against the plain ruby-red background. While the subject's presence is greatly felt, by depicting her in three-quarter profile, Knight retains a sense of enigma about her, her inner thoughts kept to herself. Knight's portraits are now in all major UK public collections, including similar works such as 'Laura Johnson, 1891' (Royal Academy of Arts), 'A Student' (Tate Gallery) and 'The Mantilla' (Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth). In the early 20th century, Knight formed part of an important group of British artists who lived and worked in Newlyn, Cornwall, that included his wife Dame Laura Knight, Dod Proctor and Stanhope Forbes, influenced by their experience of studying in Paris and in particular the Barbizon school. Knight had joint exhibitions at the illustrious Leicester Galleries in 1906, 1907 and 1912, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh in 1914, Laing Art Gallery in 1933, Nottingham Castle Museum in 1934 and Upper Grosvenor Galleries in 1967, all alongside Dame Laura Knight.
