Lot 45: DONLEAVY, JAMES PATRICK (b. 1926, American-Irish novelist, playwright and artist, author of 'The Ginger Man')

DOUBLE PORTRAIT BY GORDON STUART,(b. 1924)
crayon drawings, head and shoulders, the top image in profile to the right, looking down, the lower image half turned to the right looking up, on Ingres paper, 18 x 14 in (45.7 x 35.1 cm).

PROVENANCE: Acquired from the artist.

Five of Gordon Stuart's portraits, including one of Dylan Thomas, are in the National Portrait Gallery. He was born in Toronto and attended the Ontario College of Art before completing his studies at London University. Formerly a lecturer and advisor on art he has been a full-time painter since 1985. He regularly exhibits at the Royal Academy.

The present portrait was painted in 1995 when Gordon Stuart was artist-in-residence during the UK Year of Literature, held at Ty Llen (House of Literature), now called the Dylan Thomas Centre and The Taliesin Theatre at the University, Swansea. On 17 June J.P. Donleavy read from The History of the Ginger Man. Preliminary sketches for the present drawing were made from the front row of the small auditorium and gained approval from the sitter.