Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 12th November 2018

94 78 Neil Shawcross RHA RUA (b.1940) Still Life - Vessels, Bottles and Fruit (2007) signed and dated 2007 oil on board 120 x 178.5cm (47.25 x 70.25in) Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner €5,000-€7,000 (£4,464-£6,250) Neil Shawcross was born in Lancashire in 1940. He has been resident in Northern Ireland since 1962. Shawcross paints the figure and still life, taking a self-consciously childlike approach to composition and colour. He sources his still-life subjects from his surroundings, his home, local coffee shops and advertising. When representing a subject as simple as a cup and saucer or a bowl of fruit, Shawcross translates the mundane domesticity of this object into a painterly statement invested with character. Objects are demarcated by thick outlines in black or bold colour and the work is characterised by a remarkable control of medium. A noted colourist and technical innova- tor, his still-lifes exude vitality and demonstrate a freshness of approach to this much-loved theme which he has subjected to intense scrutiny over the years. He has exhibited nationally. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Ulster Academy of Art in 1975 and was made a full Academician in 1977. He won the Academy’s Conor Award in 1975, its Gold Medal in 1978, 1982, 1987, 1994, 1997 and 2001, and the James Adam Prize in 1998.