Herrings

Location

Country: Luxembourg
City: Luxembourg
Place: British Embassy

Depicting a plate of herrings and a bunch of parsley on a red lacquered tray, Edward Le Bas works within the traditional genre of still life. The sharp contrast of the red and green and the visual device of a circular plate at the centre of the composition make a bold impact. 

Edward Le Bas was born in London of Anglo-French descent, the brother of the sculptor Molly Le Bas (1903-1996). After studying architecture in Cambridge and then briefly in Paris in 1924, he studied painting at the Royal College of Art in London. He was born into a wealthy family whose steel business enabled him to live independently and to travel in Europe and North Africa. He was also an enthusiastic art collector, especially of modern British and French painting. In 1963, A Painter’s Collection, an exhibition of works owned by Le Bas was held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (RA). Le Bas was a member of the London Group of artists, an exhibiting society founded in 1913 that included Duncan Grant and John Nash. His first solo show was held at the Lefevre Gallery in London in 1936. He also exhibited his work at the RA and the Redfern and Goupil Galleries in London. In 1997, an exhibition of his work was held at the Michael Parkin Gallery, London. Le Bas was elected an Associate of the RA in 1943 and a full Academician in 1954. Examples of his work are represented in the collections of Tate and the Arts Council, London; and in British public collections in Brighton, Hull, Leicester, Bradford and Glasgow.

Places

Subjects

newspaper, still life, plant, herring, tray, plate, fish (as food)

Materials & Techniques

panel, oil, oil painting

Artist

Edward Le Bas (1904 - 1966)

Title

Herrings

Date

1946/1947

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

height: 37.00 cm, width: 45.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from the Royal Academy of Arts, July 1947

Inscription

bl: E Le Bas ; verso: E. Le Bas / 53 Bedford Sq. WC, / HERRINGS / No. 5

Provenance

Purchased from the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), July 1947

GAC number

358