Lot 465: Adele Barton

Adele Barton, British 1911-2013- Study of a lady standing full length in Victorian dress; pastel on cardboard, 56x40cm: together with eleven other portrait and life studies in pastel, oil on board,, pencil etc by the same hand, various sizes, (12) (unframed) (may be subject to Droit de Suite) Adele Barton was an artist and sculptor. Although she did not train formally at art college, she did attend part-time classes at the Camberwell School of Art, studying under both Cubitt Beavis and Karel Vogel and it was here that she specialised in portrait modelling. In later years, she worked with Angela Conner in Beckenham. Undeterred by having four year old twins and no studio, Adele worked in her South London kitchen, modelling both full-size heads and smaller works. In February 1955, she submitted a portrait head of one of her daughters and appeared on the television programme Art For All, as the winning contestant. In the 1970s and 80s, her paintings and sculptures appeared in numerous local and London exhibitions including the Royal Exchange, Guildhall, Society of Portrait Sculptors and South East London Fine Art Society winning several awards and commendations. As her work became known, she lectured on clay modelling and plaster casting and received a number of commissions whilst her etchings and wood engravings are in various private collections. Her work also includes a portrait head of Leonard Fuller which has recently been requested by Penlee Art Gallery in Penzance for a major retrospective exhibition on Fuller. An early holiday in St Ives as a young woman instigated a life-long attachment to the town and its artists; it was here that Adele met and befriended both Leonard Fuller and Marjorie Mostyn and where she also worked with the artist Roy Ray, painting extensively, mainly in watercolour and oil pastel, at the St Ives School of Art. Adele lived until she was 102, living independently until the age of 99. Painting and sketching well into her late eighties, she took a great interest in art until her death in October 2013. Adele Barton, British 1911-2013- Portrait bust of a man; patinated plaster, on wooden plinth, 38cm high (including plinth) (may be subject to Droit de Suite)