LONDON.- An outstanding rediscovered drawing by Lucian Freud, Flyda and Arvid is the only self-portrait by Freud known to also feature his first wife Kitty Garman, whom he painted devotedly from early 1947. Unveiled to the public for the first time in almost 70 years, Flyda and Arvid was gifted by Freud to the late Sonia Brownell (1918-1980), second wife of George Orwell. Sonia was the inspiration for the heroine of George Orwell’s seminal novel 1984, the ‘girl from the fiction department’, and during the seven decades that the drawing remained in her home, it was only lent once for exhibition at Freud’s 1948 show at the London Gallery. The work pulsates with the emotional intensity between the artist and model/lover, a theme that Freud was to explore for the next 60 years.

Lynn Chadwick, R.A., Stabile with Mobile Element, 1952 (est. £400,000-600,000)
Stabile with Mobile Element comes to the market for the first time offering a fascinating new insight into Chadwick’s early forays into sculpture. Off the radar for over 60 years and previously only known through the artist’s original sketch, this work is being sold by the family of its one and only owner, who acquired it in 1954, just two years after it was made.

Abstract, open and weightless, it is a unique example that captures the architectural and sculptural aspects which define this formative period and paved the way for Chadwick’s later more monumental pieces. There is a mastery of material, combined with a fine sensibility for balance, movement and the harmony of form and space in these work.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL: THE ARTIST
Churchill’s exceptional ability as a painter was celebrated in Sotheby’s historic white-glove sale of paintings and objects from the estate of the late Mary Soames, the youngest of Winston Churchill’s children, in December 2014 – which included the record-breaking sale of The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, which sold for £1,762,500. Following this success, and the sale of two of his paintings earlier this year, this auction offers the opportunity to bid on further works by Britain’s greatest war-time leader.

Sir Winston Churchill, The Scuola di San Marco in Venice, 1951 (est. £250,000-350,000)
Churchill had strong affinities with Venice and the present work was painted during a trip with his family at the age of 77. Mary described how Churchill would spend the morning working on his memoirs and in the afternoons he would indulge in his favourite pastimes of swimming in the Lido and painting – setting off by motor launch in search of new painting locations. He wonderfully captures the opulence of the building and effect of the Mediterranean sunlight.

Sir Winston Churchill, St Jean de Vie between Cannes and Grasse, 1930s (est. £120,000-180,000)
This French Riviera scene simultaneously epitomizes Churchill’s love affair with the South of France and his painterly interest in the play of shadows. The seventeenthcentury Chapel of St Jean de Vie is situated in a tranquil area of the Cote d’Azur in a lovely meadow flanked by rows of giant cypresses overlooking the village of Mougins, between Cannes and Grasse. It was here that Picasso died in 1973 and where he spent the last fifteen years of his life in a villa (l’Antre du Minautore), screened by trees and bushes, probably behind where Churchill positioned himself to paint this work. Churchill and Picasso were no doubt drawn by the same interests to this picturesque and secluded spot and Churchill was to paint this vista at least three times from various angles during the 1930s.

L.S. LOWRY: ONE OF BRITAIN’S BEST LOVED ARTISTS
L.S. Lowry, The Barge, 1948 (est. £300,000-500,000)
This work showcases Lowry as an avid explorer of the British Isles – a lesser known aspect of his interests. The Barge portrays a flour mill in Norwich, following a visit to the home of fellow artist and close friend David Carr. Encapsulating his fascination with the artistic opportunities offered by water and the central role of maritime trade, the scene he presents is strikingly accurate and alive with activity.

EDWARD BURRA AND THE MACABRE
Edward Burra, Judith and Holofernes, 1950-1 (est. £250,000-350,000)
Burra was invited to create this work for the Festival of Britain of 1951 – a national exhibition designed to raise the spirits of the country and celebrate British ingenuity and creativity, to counteract the bleak cultural atmosphere following the Second World War. During this period, Burra was working on a series of religious themed works which drew heavily on the paintings of the Old Masters, particularly those of El Greco. He found these biblical stories a useful framework through which to comment on humanity, resulting in a number of his darkest creations.

ARTISTS FOR PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY
Antony Gormley, MEME CCCLII, 2013 (est. £40,000-60,000)
Pallant House Gallery in Chichester has one of the best public collections of Modern British art in the country, made up of a ‘collection of collections’ donated by a number of private individuals and famed for its groundbreaking shows. Over the two sales, 12 lots have been donated by contemporary artists represented in both the Gallery’s collection and its exhibition programme, in order to raise funds for the Catalyst Endowment Fund. The group is led by Gormley’s cast iron MEME CCCLII. One of the best known and critically acclaimed artists working in Britain today, his sculptures focus on the dynamic relationship between the human body and the space it inhabits.

A NEW VISION OF LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Peter Lanyon, Dry Wind, 1958 (est. £120,000-180,000)
One of the major figures of the Post-War St Ives School, Lanyon has always been intimately tied with Cornwall. However, his numerous explorations of Italy inspired a large body of important works. This painting beautifully captures the momentary qualities of the dramatic weather effects in the mountainous landscape. A current major exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery brings to the fore this sensory experience of Lanyon’s landscape paintings, focusing on those inspired by his experience of gliding.