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https://www.decorativecollective.com/dealers/walpolesOne of John Bratby's self portraits rendered typically in pencil and demonstrating his heavy, vigourous and intense working method so familiar in his paintings.
Born London in 1928 he concluded his studies at the Royal College of Art in 1954. Throughout the 1950's Bratby exhibited regularly at Beaux Arts Gallery and won travel scholarships representing Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1956 and gaining the Guggenheim Award the same year and again in 1958. He taught at the Royal College 1957-8. A prolific painter, Bratby had painted over 1500 portraits alone by 1991 when a retrospective was held at the National Portrait Gallery which holds his work. He was elected RA in 1971, lived in Hastings, and died in 1992.
This portrait shows Bratby to be sharpening his pencil during the execution of this work; pencil on paper within a mid 20th century limed oak frame.