by Laura Diaz
The work of Sussex artist who painted from a caravan for 40 years has been sold for over £800,000 at the Bonhams sale of British and Irish art
Ivon Hitchens, a Sussex artist, painted from his caravan for 40 years after tragedy struck. His works were sold for over £800,000 at the Bonhams sale of British and Irish art on Wednesday (28 May), as reported by Crawley News.
The artist’s home was bombed during the Second World War, a tragedy which forced him to live in a caravan. However, Hitchens utilised his difficult situation as fuel for his creativity. Throughout 40 years, he produced fascinating works of art. The Bonhams sale of British and Irish art sold 15 of his paintings, which totalled a value of £812,100. The top price in Hitchens’ collection was paid for the painting “Poppies against a Grey Background”; it sold for £79,300. Hitchens’ style is best known for its panoramic landscape images using dominant blocks of colour, as evidenced by the highest-priced painting.
The Sussex artist is part of a family tradition. His father was a painter, as are his son and grandson. Furthermore, Hitchens was part of the collection of artists known as the London Group. Before the war, he exhibited his works with the group. In the years subsequent to the bombing, Hitchens added a series of buildings to his encampment, situated on a patch of woodland in Petworth.
The 15 paintings sold belonged to the Estate of Elizabeth Creak, who passed away last year. Profits from the sales will benefit the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust. The funds will provide scholarships in agriculture to support new blood in farming and finance projects. These are meant to provide farmers with the tools to survive and thrive in the challenging modern agricultural environment.
It is wonderful to see how such a distinguished artist created dazzling works from inside a caravan for four decades!
