Items Similar to Hyacinths and Almond Tree, Oil on Canvas Painting by Margaret Mellis, 1951
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6
UnknownHyacinths and Almond Tree, Oil on Canvas Painting by Margaret Mellis, 19511951
1951
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
Price Upon Request
About the Item
Hyacinths and Almond Tree, Oil on Canvas Painting by Margaret Mellis 1914-2009, 1951
Additional information:
Medium: Oil on canvas
51 x 63 cm
20 1/8 x 24 3/4 in
Margaret Mellis was an important figure in the story of St Ives, though her artwork is often overlooked. Known for her collages and constructions in the 1930s and 1940s, the break-up of her marriage to Adrian Stokes and subsequent marriage to Francis Davison with the move to Suffolk in 1948, resulted in a dramatic change in her work: ‘I couldn’t even go on with what I was doing, so I went right back to the beginning of where I left off representational painting. I started over again’. The early 1950s saw a series of still-life compositions in which colour remained central to her working and her former abstract tendencies are still evident. Here, the use of the window obscures the foreground-background distinction and the deliberately arbitrary use of colour allows for Mellis to subtly distort the subject matter.
Provenance
The Estate of the Artist
Exhibitions
London, The Redfern Gallery, 'Margaret Mellis: Paintings and Constructions', 2016
Literature
'Margaret Mellis: Paintings and Constructions', The Redfern Gallery, London, 2016, illus., p. 22
Margaret Mellis was one of the early members, and last survivors, of the group of modernists that popularised St Ives as a hub of artistic activity in the 1940s.
Mellis was born in Wukingfu, Swatow, China, where her father was a missionary. Her family returned to East Lothian when she was one year old, shortly after the First World War broke out, so her father David Barclay Mellis-Smith could join up.
Abandoning an initial interest in music, she studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1930 to 1934, under colourist Samuel John Peploe and landscape painters William Gillies and John Maxwell, alongside Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and William Gear. She used a travel scholarship to study with André Lhote in Paris. She met art critic Adrian Stokes in 1936 and they married in 1938. They visited Ezra Pound in Italy during their honeymoon and returned to London, where she studied at the Euston Road School.
Looking for a refuge from London before the Second World War broke out, Mellis and Stokes moved to Carbis Bay, near St Ives, in 1939. The couple's move to Cornwall was to be a catalyst for the burgeoning modernist movement that was to become internationally renowned throughout the middle of the twentieth century. They were soon joined by their friends Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, and Naum Gabo and his wife Miriam, and then subsequently Margaret's college friend Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. Margaret was encouraged to paint small abstract works, and to produce intricate collage. She was inspired by naive painter Alfred Wallis. Other visitors included Victor Pasmore, Graham Sutherland, William Coldstream, Julian Trevelyan and Peter Lanyon, and later a second wave including Roger Hilton, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost and Bryan Wynter.
Mellis left the St Ives area in 1946 after the breakdown of her marriage. Mellis and Stokes divorced in 1946, and he subsequently married her younger sister Ann. Patrick Heron introduced Mellis to painter Francis Davison, also recently divorced; they married in 1948 and lived for two years in the run-down Château des Enfants on the Cap d'Antibes. They moved to Walberswick in 1950, later moving to a smallholding at Syleham, near Diss. After 25 years of relative isolation and self-sufficiency, broken occasionally by visiting artist friends, then moved to Southwold in 1976.
Mellis was renowned throughout her career as a colourist. While under the influence of Nicholson she began to work in relief and collage, most notably Collage with Red Triangle II (1940) which was initially a gift for Naum Gabo and is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The breakdown of her first marriage caused her to reject abstraction for a period, returning to representational painting. However, works from the mid-1950s moved away from direct representation, simplifying still life and landscapes to flattened areas of pure colour. By the 1970s work was almost totally abstract and focused on geometric shape and colour.
In 1980 Mellis started making constructions out of found pieces of driftwood, which was to become her central practice until the end of her career. Whilst still retaining elements of representation, these works were more closely concerned with the relationship between form and colour. During the 1990s, Mellis became an early mentor and friend to the YBA artist Damien Hirst.
She exhibited infrequently through much of her life, and Hirst considers that her work has been unduly neglected. A major exhibition was held at Newlyn Art Gallery in 2001, and in 2008 a documentary Margaret Mellis a Life in Colour was made to accompany a major retrospective exhibition of her work at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich. In 2011 her work featured as a major part of the Tate St Ives Summer Exhibition, alongside Martin Creed and Agnes Martin. Her work is featured in major collections such as the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council Collection, The Fleming Collection, City Art Centre, Edinburgh and the National Galleries of Scotland.
- Creation Year:1951
- Dimensions:Height: 20.13 in (51.14 cm)Width: 24.75 in (62.87 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Kingsclere, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2718214575292
About the Seller
No Reviews Yet
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 2010
1stDibs seller since 2024
41 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 7 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Kingsclere, United Kingdom
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllStill life with Fruit and Flowers, Oil on Canvas by Matthew Smith, 1950s Circa
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Still life with Fruit and Flowers, Oil on Canvas by Matthew Smith, 1950s Circa
Additional information:
Medium: Oil on Canvas
25.5 x 31 cm
10 1/8 x 1...
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Flower Piece, Oil on Board Painting by Anne Estelle Rice
By Anne Estelle Rice
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Flower Piece, Oil on Board Painting by Anne Estelle Rice
Additional information:
Medium: Oil on board
50.8 x 40.6 cm
20 x 16 in
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Board
A Vase of Flowers, Oil on Canvas Painting by Gertrude Harvey, circa 1930
By Gertrude Harvey
Located in Kingsclere, GB
A Vase of Flowers, Oil on Canvas Painting by Gertrude Harvey 1879-1966, circa 1930
Provenance
Bette Moore, the sister of Midge Bruford
Exhibitions
Fa...
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Still life, Flowers (3), Oil on Canvas Painting by Rodrigo Moynihan, 1939
By Rodrigo Moynihan
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Still life, Flowers (3), Oil on Canvas Painting by Rodrigo Moynihan 1910-1990, 1939
Additional information:
Medium: Oil on canvas
55.9 x 45.7 cm
22 x 18 in
Signed and dated; with in...
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Pink Poppy and Sweet Peas, Oil on Canvas Painting by David Michie, circa 1980
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Pink Poppy and Sweet Peas, Oil on Canvas Painting by David Michie 1928-2015, circa 1980
Additional information:
Medium: Oil on canvas
92 x 127 cm
36 1/4 x 50 in
Signed
David Michie was a Scottish painter, known for his still lifes, landscapes and depictions of everyday people.
David Michie was born in 1928 in Saint-Raphaël, the south of France. He was born into a family of artists, his mother was the renowned Edinburgh School painter Anne Redpath (1895-1965) and his father the painter and architect, James Beattie Michie (1891-1960), his elder brother, Alastair Michie...
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Polyanthus, Pinks and Cedric, Oil on Panel Painting by Jo Aylward
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Polyanthus, Pinks and Cedric, Oil on Panel Painting by Jo Aylward B. 1974
Additional information:
Medium: Oil on panel
Dimensions: 25.4 x 50.8 cm
10 x 20 in
Signed
Jo Aylward is a ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Materials
Panel
You May Also Like
Sibil Elizabeth Swinden - Mid 20th Century Oil, Still Life of a Potted Flower
Located in Corsham, GB
An attractive floral still life depicting a delicate daisy-like flower in a terracotta pot, captured alongside a luminous green pitcher. The painting is well presented in a gilt-effe...
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Oil
Annelise Firth (b.1961) - Contemporary Oil, Hyacinth & Cyclamen
Located in Corsham, GB
A colourful and energetic floral composition by the well-listed contemporary artist Annelise Firth (b.1961). Signed, titled and dated (2024) to the reverse. On canvas on stretchers.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Materials
Oil
Annelise Firth (b.1961) - Contemporary Oil, Pink and Blue Hyacinths
Located in Corsham, GB
This vibrant still life painting captures a lush vase of hyacinths in vivid purples, pinks, and blues positioned against a softly textured background. The expressive brushstrokes and...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Materials
Oil
Annelise Firth (b.1961) - Contemporary Oil, Hyacinth on Linen Silk
Located in Corsham, GB
A colourful and energetic floral composition by the well-listed contemporary artist Annelise Firth (b.1961). Signed, titled and dated (2024) to the reverse. On canvas on stretchers.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Materials
Oil
Pauline Plummer (b.1933) - Framed 20th Century Oil, Hyacinth in a Vase
Located in Corsham, GB
An Impressionist still-life study by the artist Pauline Plummer (b.1933). Unsigned. Presented in a painted oak frame. On board.
Category
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Materials
Oil
Deborah Windsor, Daffodils, Snowdrops And Grape Hyacith, Still Life Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Daffodils, Snowdrops and Grape Hyacith [2020]
Original
Still Life
Oil Paint on Canvas
Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:51 cm x W:41 cm x D:19cm
Sold Unframed
Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look
Daffodils, Snowdrops and Grape Hyacith is an original painting by Deborah Windsor...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
