Gerald Leslie Brockhurst, R.A., R.E. 1890-1978.

Works on paper: etchings and drypoints.

Gerald Brockhurst is best known for his portraits and etchings of glamorous women. Regarded from the age of twelve as ?a young Botticelli, he studied in England, France and Italy. Brockhurst's placement of a portrait within a surrounding landscape, recalls the work of Italian Renaissance masters, as there is a sense of mystery and the unknown, which separates the viewer from the sitters. Brockhurst's sitters are given extra emphasis by their surroundings and are usually composed close-up, looking straight at you, positioned in shallow space, against a ledge, or against a blank background. By changing the pose, setting or costume he could seemingly transform the model into an entirely different person. To add to the shroud of mystery and romance of the image, and to encourage the imagination of the viewer, Brockhurst would attach exotic titles such as, Ophelia, Viba, Xenia and Anais. In the UK in the 1930s and later in New York, Brockhurst became a fashionable portrait painter with famous sitters including Marlene Dietrich and the Duchess of Windsor. In retrospect he is regarded as an impressive portraitist and printmaker.

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Adolescence. (Kathleen Nancy Woodward). 1932. Etching. Fletcher 75.vi. 14 3/8 x 10 7/16 (sheet 17 3/4 x 13 1/4). Total edition 91. Illustrated: Guichard, British Etchers 1850-1940; Fine Prints of the Year, 1933 and and Zigrosser, Six Centuries of Fine Prints. A luminous, richly-inked impression on simili-Japan wove paper. Signed in pencil.

The Amberly Boy. No. 2. 1928. Etching. Fletcher 62. 7 5/8 x 5 7/8. Edition 111. Provenance: the estate of Kathleen Nancy Woodward Brockhurst. Illustrated: Guichard, British Etchers 1850-1940; Holme, Etchings of Today, (London: The Studio, 1929), plate 9. Signed in pencil. $1,350.

The Basque Boy. 1945. Lithograph. F L3.ii. zinc plate. 13 x 10 1/4. Edition 10. Provenance: the estate of Kathleen Nancy Woodward Brockhurst. Signed in pencil. $900.

Henry Bell, Esq. December, 1930. Etching. Fletcher 68.v. Published state. 8 5/16 x 6 3/16 (sheet 14 3/4 x 10 7/16). Private commission. Edition 55 (68 total proofs). A very rich impression. Signed in pencil. Henry Bell was associated with Lloyds Bank. $800

The Black Silk Dress. 1927. Etching. Fletcher 58. 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 (sheet 14 1/2 x 9 1/8). Edition of 111. Signed in pencil. Illustrated: Furst, Original Engraving and Etching: An Appreciation and Salaman, Modern Masters of Etching: Brockhurst. A very rich impression printed on off-white wove paper, on the full sheet with deckle edges. $2,750.

Une Dacquoise. (Anaïs) (A Woman from Dax (Landes). 1922. Etching. Fletcher 29.iii. 6 3/8 x 4 1/2 (sheet 11 1/2 x 9 1/8). Edition 76. A rich impression printed on cream wove paper, on the full sheet with deckle edges. The name Dacquoise is given to ladies from the town of Dax in South Western France, the Aquataine. Signed in pencil. $950.

The Dancer (Anais). 1925. Etching. Fletcher 52.i/viii. 9 3/4 x 6 1/16 (Sheet 16 5/16 x 9). Edition 107. Early proof before the published state, before the plate was reduced, with the signature in reverse, upper right, before the signature and date were added in the lower left. An extremely rich proof printed on cream 'J. Whatman' paper. Illustrated: Salaman, Modern Masters of Etching: Brockhurst and Fine Prints of the Year, 1926. Signed in pencil and annotated "1st state G.L.B." in pencil. $2,250.

Head of a Girl (Anais; Melisande; Head of a Basque). 1944. Fletcher Lithograph 2.iv. Zinc plate. 11 3/8 x 9 3/16 (sheet 16 ¼ x 12 13/16). Edition 25. A fine impression printed on white wove paper. Pristine condition. Provenance: the estate of Kathleen Nancy Woodward Brockhurst. Signed in pencil. $850.

James McBey. 1931. Etching. Fletcher 69.ix. 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 (sheet 14 7/8 x 11 3/8). Edition 111. A fine impression printed on cream wove paper with full margins. Illustrated: Fine Prints of the Year, 1931. Signed in pencil. $3,000.

An Old Corsican. 1921. Etching. F 27. 6 5/16 x 4 9/16. Edition 76. A beautiful, rich impression with plate tone, printed on wove paper with full margins. Signed in pencil. The model for this portrait was the wood engraver,Marquett, whose portrait Brockhurst had etched in 1925 (Fletcher 51). $450.

Phémie (Marguérite). 1924. Etching. Fletcher 42. 3 7/8 x 2 7/8 (sheet 10 3/4 x 7 3/4). Edition 76. A fine impression printed on the full sheet of cream wove paper with deckle edges. A dramatic study. $350.

The Three Sisters. 1920. Etching. Fletcher 11. 3 7/8 x 4 7/8 (sheet 8 13/16 x 9 13/16). Edition 110. A rich impression printed on cream wove paper with full margins. Signed in pencil. $750.

La Tresse. 1926. Etching. Fletcher 56.vi/vii. 8 1/3 x 6 3/4 (16 1/2 x 12 5/16) Proof before the published edition (total edition 111). La Tresse. 1926. Etching. Fletcher 56.vi/vii. 8 1/3 x 6 3/4 (16 1/2 x 12 5/16) Proof before the published edition (total edition 111). Signed and annotated "6th state G.L.B. (1 of 4 proofs thus") in pencil by the artist. Illustrated: Fine Prints of the Year, 1927 and Salaman, Modern Masters of Etching: Brockhurst. Printed on cream-colored laid paper with full margins. A glowing impression of this rare state. $1,950.

After attending the Birmingham School of Art, Gerald L. Brockhurst entered the Royal Academy Schools in London, where he received the Gold Medal and Traveling Scholarship in 1913. The award allowed him to visit Paris and Italy, where he studied works by early Italian painters. Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci remained important influences.

From 1915 to 1919, Brockhurst lived in Ireland, where he met painter Augustus John, whose painting style was influenced by contemporary French art's simplicity of color and forms. In 1919 Brockhurst returned to England for his first significant gallery exhibition.

During the 1920's Brockhurst became an etcher, focusing primarily on female portraits and using his wife as his model. Coolness, technical perfection, and overt classicism mark both his printmaking style and his painting manner. By 1930 Brockhurst had returned to painting with a new teenage model, Dorette Woodard, whom he later married. His haunting portraits of her opened the door to fame and fortune, and he became a fashionable portrait painter; his stated goal was to capturing appearance, not character. His sitters included J. Paul Getty, Marlene Dietrich, and the Duchess of Windsor. In 1939, at the height of his success, Brockhurst settled in the United States.

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British Fine Prints.

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