Valerie Desmore Sold at Auction Prices

VALERIE DESMORE (1925-2008)

VALERIE DESMORE (1925-2008) Crab signed, inscribed and dated 'Valerie Desmore/CRAB/29 July 1961' (on the reverse) oil on board, unframed 28 x 44 in. (71.2 x 111 cm.)  Provenance:  Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner.  Valerie Desmore was a South African artist who studied in the Slade and in Vienna with Oscar Kokoschka. In the 1960s she was living in London working as a fashion designer and painter. One of the first black women artists to exhibit in South Africa, Desmore is rarely represented at auction. The vigorous, thick brushstrokes in Crab are typical for the artist's expressive style, for which she is widely celebrated.