We have put together this Directory of 20th Century Artists, Designers & Manufacturers to provide you with information on the items we regularly sell in our auctions. Click below to find out more information and to see items we have recently sold and prices achieved. You may also be interested to view our Northern Artists Directory.
Born in 1930 in Linz, Austria, Frtiz Aigner was a graphic artist and painter, educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna where he also won the state prize in 1952 for his painting Die Klage des Verlorenen Sohnes. In his quest to create an individual style, he was influenced by classic surrealism but was also very technically proficient and his paintings contain a wealth of beautifully-executed detail.
Finnish Designer Hugo Alvar Aalto is one of the giants of 20th Century Design. As well as being notable for the natural materials used, Aalto's work is characterised by the use of organic forms ('Organic Design') and the landscapes of his native Finland.
Artek is a Finnish furniture manufacturer, founded in 1935 by Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino to promote and produce Aalto's furniture and glassware. Some of the most notable furniture produced by Artek include the Paimio Chair, Leg Stool 60 and Leg Stool X600.
One of the most talked-about artist's of the moment, Banksy's work needs little introduction.
Cliff was one of the most influential names in British design during the Art Deco period, and her work, with its strong colours and striking shapes, is highly sought after.
The Della Robbia Pottery was founded in Birkenhead in 1893 by painter Harold Rathbone and sculptor Conrad Dressler. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, as well as by Italian art. Della Robbia pottery is very popular with collectors due to its colourful, visual appeal; among the most sought after pieces are those using Rathbone’s characteristic, bright turquoise glaze.
Mary Fedden’s work is categorised by its use of colour and the delicate precision of the draughtsmanship. Her most sought-after works are those later pieces that demonstrate her mastery of texture and eye for detail, such as her stylised still life pictures. Her work has been extensively exhibited and is held in collections worldwide including those of the Queen and the Tate.
Elisabeth Frink is best known studied at the Guildford and Chelsea schools of Art in the 1940s and early 1950s and mainly used men, birds and animals as her subjects. Frink is best known for outdoor sculptures in bronze, but in addition to sculpting, Frink was a prolific artist and the market is buoyant for originals and limited edition prints of her work, which are more accessible to most collectors than her sculptures.
Born in Richmond in 1913, Frederick Gore was the son of artist Spencer Gore, a leading member of the Camden Town school of painting. Frederick Gore studied at the Ruskin School of Art and loved to paint in the open air, travelling extensively to find the perfect locations. Gore is best known as a landscape painter - his richly-coloured Mediterranean scenes are amongst the most typical and most sought after of his work, as are the scenes painted in Greece which he first visited in the 1930s.
The Arts and Crafts movement of the 19th century is the roots of Studio Pottery with companies such as Martin Brothers attempting to produce unique works that demonstrated a high level of skill and process.