Lioness Is More (Lot 29)
Sponsor: Winsor & Newton • Artist: Lélia Pissarro
About the lion Lélia painted her lion based on her watercolor camouflage series. This body of work is a reflection on her personal beliefs that the natural world is fundamental to the creative process. Her work is a reminder to that we, more than ever, are in deep need to reconnect to the earth beneath our feet. In recreating these jungle landscapes, Lélia hopes to offer the viewer a moment to pause, reflect and rejuvenate.
About the sponsor Winsor & Newton are delighted to sponsor our lions because of the natural connection with the Pissarro family as 5 consecutive generations have used our products in their art. The exceptionally talented Queen Victoria was an amateur artist whose preferred supplier of materials was always Winsor & Newton. She awarded Winsor & Newton the Royal Warrant in 1841 – something we still hold to this day. Our most celebrated brush range, Series 7, owes its very existence to Queen Victoria’s request that Winsor & Newton make a set of exquisite water colour brushes in her favourite size. The original brushes were made of ivory, silver and the finest sable.
About the artist Lélia Pissarro was born in Paris, the youngest child of artist Hugues-Claude Pissarro and Katia, an art dealer. She learned art from her grandfather and then her father Hugues-Claude Pissarro, before studying at the world’s best art schools. Lélia sold her first canvas to Wally Findlay, a New York art dealer, when she was only four years of age. At fifteen, Lélia exhibited at the Luxembourg Museum in Paris and a year later enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Tours. Whilst in Paris, Lélia taught art at the Moria School and studied oil painting restoration at the laboratory of the Louvre. She had solo exhibitions in Paris, Lyon, Mulhouse and Rennes. Lélia married art dealer David Stern and moved to London in 1988. Since then, her work has been regularly exhibited in galleries around the world. Continuing the tradition of her great-grandfather Camille Pissarro, her grandfather Paulémile and her father Hugues-Claude, Lélia participated in a series of exhibitions entitled Pissarro – The Four Generations. These exhibitions have been mounted in London, Tel Aviv, five major museums in Japan and the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1999, Lélia became one of the founders of the Sorteval Press, a group of artists dedicated to developing their skills and techniques in etching and printmaking. Their first exhibition took place at the Mall Gallery in London.
Where? Outside the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel, Thames Street, near Windsor Bridge, which leads to Eton. Viewing hours 0800-2200.