JOHN BELLANY (BRITISH, 1942-2013)
Aurora
signed 'Bellany' (lower right); further signed, titled and dated 'John Bellany/AURORA/1986' (verso)
oil on canvas
152.8 x 122.5 cm. (60 1/8 x 48 1/4 in.)

Provenance
Sale; Christie's, London, 12 June 2006, lot 303
With Collect Art, Lymm, 2020, where purchased by the present owner

Scottish artist John Bellany gained prominence through his innovative painting style, reinvigorating interest in Scottish art during the 1960s and leaving a lasting impact on a new generation of artists. Delving into Scottish history and symbolism, Bellany’s figurative works seamlessly blended maritime imagery and Christian iconography with depictions of the daily lives of common working people. The recurring motif of the boat in Bellany’s art serves as a representation of Scottish fishing-village life and a metaphor for internal journeys, fostering a profound exploration of themes such as loss, survival, and redemption.

"John Bellany has as strange a story to tell as any painter and his talent has been the match of it… John Bellany is the son of a fisherman, a child of the sea, and his art is true to that inheritance"

(John McEwan, John Bellany, Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh & London, 1994, p.15)

Born into a family of fishermen and boatbuilders in Port Seton, near Edinburgh, Bellany pursued studies at the Edinburgh College of Art. He later secured a scholarship for European travel and furthered his education at the Royal College of Art. Bellany’s art has been showcased in prominent venues such as the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, and the National Gallery of China in Beijing. His paintings are housed in major museums and galleries worldwide, including the National Gallery of Scotland, Tate Gallery, Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.