Edmond Xavier Kapp

Mid Century Modern British 'Listeners' by British German illustrator Kapp, 1959

1959

Sven Berlin (British, 1911 - 1999) A Lovers embrace Pen and ink Signed 'SVEN 95' (lower right) 11 x 7.7/8 in. (20 x 28 cm.) Sven Berlin, born in Sydenham, London on 14th September 1...

Eduard Xavier Kapp (British, 1890 – 1978) Hot soup Pen on paper Inscribed and dated ‘Hot Soup / 15-12-38’ (upper right) and signed ‘kapp’ (lower right) 7.1/2 x 12.3/8 in. (19 x 31.5 cm.) Edmond Kapp was born in Islington, London, on 5 November 1890, of American and German Jewish parentage. He gave himself the middle initial ‘X’ – sometimes said to stand for Xavier – to distinguish himself from his father Emil Kapp, who was a wine merchant. However, his parents called him ‘Eddie’ while his wife and friends knew him as ‘Peter’. During his early years, Kapp was continually ill and, while convalescing, entertained himself by drawing at home. As his health improved, he attended Dame Alice Owen’s School, Islington (1903-10), with periods at Berlin University (1909) and L’Institut Français pour les Etrangers, Paris (1909). He then read Languages at Christ’s College, Cambridge (1910-13), though spent most of his time writing and drawing. Kapp took a studio in London, and worked intensively until the outbreak of the First World War, contributing to the Daily News, the Onlooker and other periodicals. During the war, he served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Sussex Regiment on the Western Front, and then in Intelligence, rising to the position of Staff Captain on Haig’s Staff. Finally, he founded and directed the Neutral Press Counter-propaganda Section. In 1919, Kapp returned to London and, after abortive periods at three art schools, worked alone. In that year, he made his name with an exhibition of caricatures, held at Furst’s Gallery, London, and accompanied by a catalogue introduced by Max Beerbohm. This soon led to contracts with three London periodicals and a book of caricatures, Personalities, published by Martin Secker. Through the 1920s and 30s, his drawings of musicians and other personalities appeared in a wide variety of periodicals, most notably Time & Tide; were collected in further volumes; and were exhibited at the Leicester Galleries. He considered himself to be a ‘character-portraitist’, producing images of psychological not satirical power, and disliking the term ‘caricature’. Between the wars, Kapp developed other aspects of his artistic talents, the desire to study and the search for subject matter often taking him abroad. For instance, work at the British Academy, Rome, under Antonio Sciortino...

William Heath Robinson (British, 1872 - 1944) 'Boring The First Tunnel With An Early Type Of Rotary Excavator, And The Red Flag', circa 1935 (railway ribaldry was published in this year) The former signed 'W. Heath Robinson (lower left) and inscribed with title (lower left and right) The former to mount 14 X 10.1/4in. (35.5 X 26cm.) The latter 1.1/2 X 8.1/2in. (3.8 X 21.6 cm.) Literature: Railway Ribaldry, first published by the Great Western Railway, Paddington, 1935. William Heath Robinson was an English cartoonist and illustrator best known for drawings of ridiculously complicated machines for achieving simple objectives. During the First World War, he drew large numbers of cartoons, depicting ever-more unlikely secret weapons being used by the combatants. In the UK the term "Heath Robinson" entered popular language during this time as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contrivance. Its continuing popularity was undoubtedly linked to Second World War Britain's shortages and the need to "make do and mend". In the course of his work, Robinson also wrote and illustrated three childrens books including The Adventures of Uncle Lubin (1902) which is regarded as the genesis of his depiction of unlikely machines. The inventions he drew were frequently powered by steam boilers or kettles, heated by candles or a spirit lamp and usually kept running by balding, bespectacled men in overalls. There would be complex pulley arrangements, threaded by lengths of knotted string. One of his most famous series of illustrations accompanied the first Professor Branestawm book written by Norman Hunter. The stories provided a perfect backdrop for Robinson's drawings. One of the automatic analysis machines built for Bletchley Park during the Second World War to assist in the decryption of German message traffic was named "Heath Robinson" in his honour. He died in September 1944 during the Second World War and is buried in East Finchley Cemetery. The Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner opened in October 2016 to house a collection of nearly 1,000 original artworks owned by The William Heath Robinson Trust. In the Wallace and Gromit...

Charles Gesmar (French, 1900 - 1928) Portrait of Jane Marnac, 1921 Gouache and ink on paper with some watercolour Signed ‘C. Gesmar. 21’ (upper left) 18 x 18 in. (45.8 x 45.8 cm.) Gesmar had a very short but successful artistic career prior to his tragic death from pneumonia. He designed for Mistinguett, creating costumes as well as many other commissions for the theatres of the day in Paris. He worked with posters and is thought of as a talent equal to Leon Bakst, his graphic designs linking the works of Toulouse Lautrec and Rene Grau...

Sir John Kyffin Williams, OBE, RA (Welsh, 1918–2006) Study for The Agony in The Garden Pen and ink Signed with initials `KW’ (lower right) 18 x 10....

English School, circa 1900 In the ten acre pasture Ink and bodycolour on paper 4.5/8 x 13.5/8 in. (11.8 x 34.7 cm.)

*PLEASE NOTE UK BUYERS WILL ONLY PAY 5% VAT ON THIS PURCHASE. Jonas by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) Indian ink on paper 35.6 x 26.9 cm (14 x 10 ⅝ inches) Signed with Estate stamp lower ...

The Bird e is an ink drawing on paper realized in the early 20th Century by Louis Anquetin (1861-1932). Hand-signed on the lower. Good condition with slight foxing. Louis Émile An...

Temple in the Garden is an original artwork, pencil, watercolor and charcoal on paper. Is not signed and dated but we can attribute the period early 20th Century. It's an evocative...

"Steel Factory" Cuban Mid 20th Century Modern Drawing WPA Latin Art Industrial Ink on paper. 12 x 19 inches. Pogolotti lived in Paris in the 1930s. The drawing here comes from the collection of his Parisian ophthalmologist, Dr. Prokopenko . Unfortunately, the artist lost his eyesight in 1938. Marcelo Pogolotti (1902–1988) was a Cuban painter...

*THIS PRICE INCLUDES 5% IMPORT DUTY APPLICABLE IF THE WORK REMAINS IN THE UK ONLY. Esquisse pour "Commedia dell'arte" by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) India ink, pen and pencil on paper...

Sunil Das - Head - 9.25 x 7 inches (unframed size) Ink on Paper Inclusive of shipment in ready to hang form. Sunil Das (1939-2015) was a Master Modern Indian Artist from Bengal. Ext...