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Who was Albert Wainwright?
Who was Albert Wainwright?
Albert Wainwright was born in 1898 in Castleford in the borough of Wakefield. The youngest of three children, he had a Methodist religious upbringing and was expected by his father to follow in his footsteps and become an engineer. It was thanks to the help of his perceptive art teacher at Castleford Secondary school, Alice Gostick, who spotted and nurtured Wainwright’s artistic talents, that Albert’s father allowed him to leave the engineering apprenticeship that he hated and attend Leeds School of Art in 1914.
Whilst at Leeds School of Art, Wainwright drew on a wide range of influences including the work of Aubrey Beardsley and Léon Bakst together with the brave new wave of European art created by the Viennese Secessionist art group. The work of Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt captivated and inspired the young Wainwright who was drawn to their exaggerated forms, fluid use of line and dynamic use of colour and pattern within the works.
After serving in the Royal Flying Corps Wainwright left military service to re-join his family who now lived near Pontefract. Here he transformed a room of the family home in to a studio where he could continue his work as an artist and designer. Around this time, he began to attend Saturday morning pottery painting sessions at the local Grammar School with Miss Gostick, his former art teacher, along with his sisters Hilda and Maud. At the same classes was the great sculptor Henry Moore, also a former pupil of Miss Gostick’s.
In 1920 Wainwright received his first one-man exhibition at Leeds City Art Gallery aged just 22. The show was very well received and drew the attention and support of Sir Michael Sadler, Vice Chancellor of Leeds University and notable art collector, and Frank Rutter, the influential art critic and curator. It also led to Wainwright being represented by the Goupil Gallery in London where they held solo shows of his work in 1921 and 1922. His art nouveau-inspired watercolours received great praise in the Sunday Times who lauded his ‘great ability in decorative design’.
In 1927 Wainwright was made temporary art master at Castleford School for two years when Miss Gostick fell ill. It was during this time that he made his first visit to Germany on a school excursion. The visit had an overwhelming effect on him and he fell in love with the countryside and the people. It would become the first of many journeys Wainwright would make touring around Europe either solo or with his lover George Collins. This was a particularly fascinating time to be journeying around Europe, predominantly Austria and Germany, because it was a time of great social and political change, with the rise of the fascist movement in Germany. As a result, Wainwright produced a large number of beautifully illustrated sketchbooks featuring the people and landscapes he came to adore.
Wainwright also filled countless sketchbooks with views much closer to home featuring everything from the rolling landscapes or industrial towns of his home county, Yorkshire. In 1930 the family bought a cottage at Robin Hood’s Bay where he spent every summer for the next 20 years painting watercolour portraits of holidaymakers, scenes of the beach and the town’s red roof tops.
Albert (seated) and his partner George Collins.
Wainwright met George Collins, schoolmaster and friend of the Wainwright family, and became life long lovers. Wainwright often refers to his sexual identity as a gay man in his work and his sketchbooks are not only filled with studies of landscape views and women but also endless beautifully observed studies of athletic male figures or men in uniforms at rest or play. These sketchbooks were personal and private documents and not intended for public view. It is also noted that much of his work contain many secret symbols that allude to his own sexual identity and the fact that these subtle references are hidden reflect the covert nature of gay culture and a rare document of gay love in Britain of the 1920s and 30s.
Despite having grown a moderate reputation for himself in Yorkshire, Wainwright never achieved the same level of commercial success or recognition as his school-friend, Henry Moore. A possible reason for this was that Wainwright was not a keen self-promoter and happier to operate within his local circles. In addition, Wainwright received many commissions to design the sets and costumes for local theatres including the Leeds Civic Playhouse and the Leeds Art Theatre, for plays ranging from Greek tragedy and restoration comedy to the modern dramas of Ibsen, Chekov and Shaw.
These would eventually amount to more than 100 productions, the most ambitious of these was the Miracle Play held at Kirkstall Abbey in 1927 for which he designed over 700 costumes. Due to the finite life span of theatre production, it is possible that many of his works just haven’t survived.
While Wainwright only lived to the relatively young age of 45, he made a very valuable contribution to the art scene of the 1920s and 30s and is arguably one of the most talented illustrators at work in Britain at the time. He left a body of work including watercolours, drawings, painted ceramics and costume and theatre designs to George. After George’s death in 1985 the collection of works were left to family members and it is with great pleasure that a large part of the collection has been re discovered and featured in this exhibition. Over recent years there has been an ever-growing awareness and appreciation of his work with auction prices rising steadily and his work featuring in publications, online blogs and one man shows. It is with this in mind that the aim of this exhibition is to reveal and celebrate Wainwright as a prolific artist of powerful inventiveness and ability.
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
These beautifully decorated line illustrations from 1918 are only but a sample of what accompany verses from the 1859 translated into English Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám by Edward FitzGerald. Beautifully stylised, the drawings particularly symbolise the notion towards the Art Deco movement. With big areas of empty white page and incredibly detailed and intricate patterns we cannot overestimate the influence of the 19th century English illustrator Aubrey Beardsly, particularly exploring themes of the erotic and the elegant, the humouros and the grotesqe.
Costume and Set Designs:
Costume and Set Designs:
Wainwright received many commissions to design the sets and costumes for local theatres including the Leeds Civic Playhouse and the Leeds Art Theatre, for plays ranging from Greek tragedy and restoration comedy, to the modern dramas of Ibsen, Chekov and Shaw. These would eventually amount to more than 100 productions, the most ambitious of these was the Miracle Play held at Kirkstall Abbey in 1927 for which he designed over 700 elaborate costumes. With so much of Wainwright's work his love of theatre and theatrical designs is clearly established in many of his finished works.
A papier mache face mask in the African style with abstract painted features in green, red and black, 1930s.
A papier mache face mask in the Venetian style modelled as a plain face with arched headdress painted in tonal purple over white with gilded details, 1930s.
A papier mache face mask of elongated form, in the African taste with stylised features picked out in silver over green with applied glass beads forming a headdress, 1930s.
Medieval banquet, a stage design, pencil and ink drawing, 32cm x 46cm.
A stage design with musicians, acrobats and dancing girls, pencil and wash drawing, to four joined sheets, 33cm x 48cm.
'Ophelia' (Hamlet), a costume design, watercolour, signed, 34cm x 24.5cm.
'Horatio', (Hamlet), costume design, watercolour, signed, 35cm x 25cm.
'Iago and Othello', watercolour, inscribed with Iago's speech 'Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief spotted with strawberries in your wife's hands-', 36.5cm x 27cm.
A costume design, pen and wash.
A costume design for 'Martha' and 'Mary' for a Leeds Art Theatre production, pencil and wash, signed.
A costume design, pencil and wash.
A costume design, pen and wash, signed.
Drop scene and wing set design for 'A Lovely Place', pencil and wash, signed.
"I first came across Wainwright's work when I was 16 years old and saw my first work for sale at Newark Antiques Fair. Ever since, I have been captivated by his style, with its rich Art Deco form. Over the years, I have repeatedly come into contact with his work at auctions and antique fairs and have become increasingly aware of the sheer breadth and volume of his works created. Over the last 10-15 years, Fieldings Auctioneers have become the focus auction house for the sales of Wainwright's work. With the steady increase in his profile from buyers both here and abroad, we are now starting to see Albert Wainwright recognised as the truly fantastic artist he was."
"I first came across Wainwright's work when I was 16 years old and saw my first work for sale at Newark Antiques Fair. Ever since, I have been captivated by his style, with its rich Art Deco form. Over the years, I have repeatedly come into contact with his work at auctions and antique fairs and have become increasingly aware of the sheer breadth and volume of his works created. Over the last 10-15 years, Fieldings Auctioneers have become the focus auction house for the sales of Wainwright's work. With the steady increase in his profile from buyers both here and abroad, we are now starting to see Albert Wainwright recognised as the truly fantastic artist he was."
- Will Farmer
- Will Farmer
Director and Auctioneer at Fieldings Auctioneers.
Director and Auctioneer at Fieldings Auctioneers.
Portraits and Figurative studies:
Portraits and Figurative studies:
These recently discovered portrait studies clearly show Wainwright's huge talent for observational portraiture while simultaneously illustrating his love of the male form. These works cover both rapid prepartory sketches through to more finished figurative works but all works illustrate Wainwright's intese emotional connection with men.
A pen and ink head and shoulders study of a boy against blue washed ground with castles in clouds, unsigned, 23 cm x 18 cm.
A portrait study of 'Dennis Hutchinson', watercolour, signed, sitter details to the reverse, 1930.
A portrait study of 'Paul von Eigen', watercolour, signed and dated 1930.
A portrait study of 'Douglas Lindley', watercolour, sitter details to the reverse.
A portrait study of 'Frank Copeland', watercolour, signed and dated 1930, sitter details to the reverse.
A portrait study of 'Tim Bortoft', watercolour, sitter details to the reverse, 1932.
A portrait study of 'Laurence Cook', watercolour, sitter details to the reverse, 1934.
A portrait study of 'Douglas', watercolour, signed, sitter details to the reverse, 1930
A portrait study of 'Fred Johnson', watercolour, sitter details to the reverse, 1938.
A portrait study of 'Louis Wells', watercolour, signed, sitter details to the reverse, 1936.
A portrait study of 'Edwin Jefferson', watercolour, signed, sitter details to the reverse, 1933.
A portrait study of 'Herman Grube', watercolour, signed, c.1933.
Portrait of a lady, half length, pencil and wash drawing, 35.5cm x 25.5cm.
A self portrait study, pencil sketch, signed, 1941.
A portrait of study of Albert Wainwrights sister, pencil, half length, signed, c. 1918.
A portrait study of his partner George Collins, watercolour.
A portrait study of his partner George Collins, watercolour.
A portrait study of his partner George Collins, watercolour, signed.
Figurative Studies:
Figurative Studies:
Boy in stripped pyjamas and companion study, watercolour,22cm x 16cm.
Nocturne blue and gold study, watercolour, signed with monogram, 24cm x 17cm.
Study depicting a young boy in red shirt and blue trousers, watercolour,17cm x 22cm.
Three young men in traditional costume, Salzburg, ink and wash drawing, 16cm x 24cm.
'Master Herring', a watercolour study of a seated boy in school uniform to a coastal landscape, pencil annotated, unsigned, 18cm x 26cm.
A pen, ink and watercolour study of six boys standing to a balcony, titled Germany 1930, signed to the lower margin, 22.5cm x 17 cm.
Portrait of a reclining young man wearing a blue jumper and short trousers, pencil and wash drawing, 34cm x 25cm.
A watercolour study of a male in standing pose to an interior setting, signed, 26 cm by 18 cm.
A monochrome pen and ink study of a farmer and farm hand with cow to a yard, unsigned, 23 cm x 18 cm.
A monochrome pen and ink study of two young sea cadets to a sailing boat, unsigned, 26 cm x 18 cm.
A monochrome pen and ink study of a farmer and cow, 26 cm x 18 cm.
Boy asleep on a blanket, watercolour, study in semi tones, 17.5cm x 26cm.
Boy asleep across a bed, watercolour, 18cm x 25.5cm.
Nudes:
Nudes:
Wainwright had a clear interest in the human form and it is explicitly illustrated through his many studies of female and male nudes. His use of line and dynamic use of colour are expressive of his many influences including Egon Schiele and Aubrey Beardsley. However, Wainwrights depiction of the erotic lacks the dark, threatening and macbre element of Schiele and Beardsley. Instead, his imagery deploys a rather mischievous, but sohpisticated, humour within the details that are affectionate and gentle pointers to subjects he considers erotic. Multiple other nude studies can also be seen in his sketchbooks.
Female nude model in artist's studio, pen and ink drawing, 21.5cm x 15cm.
'Seated female nude in profile', ink drawing on blue paper, unsigned, 22cm x 17cm.
Two nude boys, ink and wash drawing, 23cm x 18cm.
A water colour study of two nude boys with draped cloth and butterflies, unsigned, 26 cm by 18 cm.
A pen, ink and watercolour wash depicting abstract male nudes showing in classical pose playing instruments and dancing picked out in tonal blue and red, 1930s, unsigned, 23cm x 18cm.
A watercolour of a reclining male nude, signed in uppercase letters and dated '30, 27cm x 38cm.
A pen and ink study of a female nude in seated pose with colour wash on deep green ground paper, unsigned, 17.5cm x 25cm.
A 1940s pen and ink life study drawing of seated female figure reading a book on cream paper, 22cm x 17cm.
A 1940s pen and ink life study drawing of seated female figure on cream paper, 22cm x 17cm.
A 1940s pen and ink double life study drawing of seated female figure on purple paper, 22cm x 17cm.
Finished Works:
Finished Works:
As a brilliant and gifted artist, Wainwright assimilated a wide range of influences from the decorative flourishes of art nouveau to the expressive intensity of the Viennese Secessionists. While his book illustrations call to mind the erotic and decadent drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, his watercolours evoke the jewel like colours and fluid lines of the traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e (Floating World) woodblock print-makers that flourished in the 17th century. Wainwright can be seen to incorporate all of these and yet still totally transform them into exceptional finished works with an intuitive feeling for line and stylised form all of their own.
A pen and ink drawing with colour wash of a rustic cottage by a canal side, titled Bad-Liebenzell, unsigned, 25cm x 18cm.
Neckargemund street scene, pen and ink drawing with colour wash, unsigned, 26cm x 18cm.
Roof tops, Robin Hood's Bay, watercolour, 37cm x 27cm.
The Picnic, a large watercolour on paper depicting various figures in a landscape, 37cm x 47cm.
Mystic on a boat in stormy seas, gouache, signed with monogram, 37cm x 53cm.
'Sleeping youths', ink and wash drawing, 58cm x 40.5cm.
A small watercolour depicting a boy in a sailor suit looking out to a landscape, 17 cm x 22 cm,
'Boy beside a flowering apple tree', gouache and wash, signed, 37cm x 28cm.
An extensive Alpine View, watercolour, 40cm x 58cm.
A view in the Yorkshire Dales, watercolour, signed with monogram, 24cm x 34cm.
The Three Kings, gouache on buff paper, signed with monogram, 33cm x 25cm.
Boy in oriental costume, watercolour and gouache, 26cm x 18cm.
'Salome', watercolour, signed with monogram, 36cm x 29cm.
A large watercolour depicting a Persian inspired scene with figures in ceremonial robes and courtiers to an exotic garden setting all within a running repeat border with exotic birds, signed in monogram, 35cm x 51cm.
Frankfurt am Main, gouache on board, signed, titled verso, 34.5cm x 24.5cm.
A 1930s Art Deco abstract still life watercolour with vase of red tulips, signed in red, 28cm x 38cm.
A small watercolour depicting a group of women standing before a brothel titled 'Die Nacht Gehort Uns', 17 cm x 22 cm.
Nude male figure seated on a bed surrounded by foliage, watercolour, Private Collection.
Two dancing girls in elaborate dresses, pen and wash, signed with monogram.
Nude male figure in seated pose, watercolour, c.1930s.
Seated female nude, pen and wash, signed and dated April 1924, private collection.
'Ocean Liner', pen and wash, c.1930s, private collection.
Coastal Landscape, watercolour, signed with monogram, c.1930s, private collection.
Fred and Adele Astaire, original sketch, pen and ink, c.1930s, private collection.
Fred and Adele Astaire, oil on canvas, c. 1930s, private collection.
'Enter a messenger', watercolour, signed, c.1930s, private collection.
Tumbling Acrobats, watercolour, signed, c.1930s, private collection.
The Annunciation, watercolour, signed, c.1930s, private collection.
"This exhibition was curated not only to celebrate Wainwright as an accomplished artist but also to present newly discovered works that aid in defining Wainwright as a queer artist. The fact that Wainwright included secret symbols and motifs in his work implies the harsh reality and reflects the covert nature of gay culture of the time. I believe that Wainwright challenges these notions with his playful use of colour in his finished works and the revealing subject matter of his personal sketchbooks. It is truly exciting to be able to present the unseen works, particularly the sketchbooks, as they complete the picture of a young gay man and arguably one of the most talented illustrators and artists of the 20th century."
"This exhibition was curated not only to celebrate Wainwright as an accomplished artist but also to present newly discovered works that aid in defining Wainwright as a queer artist. The fact that Wainwright included secret symbols and motifs in his work implies the harsh reality and reflects the covert nature of gay culture of the time. I believe that Wainwright challenges these notions with his playful use of colour in his finished works and the revealing subject matter of his personal sketchbooks. It is truly exciting to be able to present the unseen works, particularly the sketchbooks, as they complete the picture of a young gay man and arguably one of the most talented illustrators and artists of the 20th century."
- Harriet Moore
- Harriet Moore
Curator of the exhibition and junior cataloguer at Fieldings Auctioneers
Curator of the exhibition and junior cataloguer at Fieldings Auctioneers
Sketchbooks:
Sketchbooks:
During his travels across Europe Wainwright filled countless sketchbooks of places, spaces and faces he came to adore. Albert was himself gay at a time when it was illegal and therefore much of Wainwright's sketchbook studies were a very private and personal form of artistic documentation and were not intended to be seen by the public and sadly much of his work was later destroyed by his sisters after his death in 1943. However, this new discovery of sketchbooks display multiple beautifully observed sketches and very revealing studies that complete the picture of a young gay artist of the early 20th century.
'Dior Argent', depicting a fashionable young lady against an abstract Art Deco background, pen, ink and watercolour wash, 1930s, unsigned, 23cm x 18cm.
A sketch depicting studies of female show girls and dancers in elaborate stage costumes, pen and ink, 1920s, unsigned, 23cm x 18cm.
Albert Wainwright's Note Book Seven, c.1930s.
Medieval Note Book studies, pen and ink, c.1930s.
Medieval Note Book, a sketch depicting knights on horses, pen and ink, c.1930s.
Medieval Note Book, A sketch depicting a Princess in a tower accompanied by another sketch of her recued by a prince, pen and ink, c.1930s.
Medieval Note Book, A sketch of three maidens, pen and ink, c.1930s.
Castleford Peasant Pottery:
Castleford Peasant Pottery:
After serving in the Royal flying Corps Wainwright left military service to re-join his family. He transformed a room of his family home into a studio where he could continue his work as an artist and designer. It was also at this time he began to attend Saturday morning pottery painting classes with Miss Gostick, his former art teacher. With his strong use of colour and brilliantly abstracted motifs his work is totally unique.
Castleford Peasant Pottery - Two hot water pots circa 1919 hand-painted with an abstract wave line and pebble pattern in mixed palette, hand-painted monogram mark.
Castleford Peasant Pottery - Large tureen and cover circa with a small sauce boat, 1919 hand-painted with an abstract design in mixed palette, hand-painted monogram mark.
Castleford Peasant Pottery - A small beaker circa 1919, hand painted with stylised religious figures in abstract robes against a patterned ground, bears BW monogram (Bertie Wainwright).
Castleford Peasant Pottery - A small beaker circa 1919, hand painted with a repeat abstract banded design in mixed palette, bears BW monogram (Bertie Wainwright).
Castleford Peasant Pottery - A small beaker circa 1919, hand painted with a procession of choir boys signing in mixed colours against an ochre ground, BW monogram (Bertie Wainwright).
Castleford Peasant Pottery - A tea plate circa 1919, painted with a seated Indian figure within a bold abstract border, bears BW monogram.
Castleford Peasant Pottery - A circular side plate circa 1919, hand painted with a seated figure playing a sitar against a heavily decorated patterned ground within repeat banded borders, bears BW monogram.
Head over to the Fieldings Auctioneers website to see more works sold at auction.
Head over to the Fieldings Auctioneers website to see more works sold at auction.
If you would like to own your very own Albert Wainwright work look out for our upcoming Decades of Design sales and check out our Wainwright instagram page to discover more amazing works.
If you would like to own your very own Albert Wainwright work look out for our upcoming Decades of Design sales and check out our Wainwright instagram page to discover more amazing works.
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