5 September 2016

the letter rex whistler

There is a beautiful and fascinating length of fabric designed by Rex Whistler which is being auctioned in aid of the Artworkers Guild on October 31st (details here, scroll down to number 92). Of course we are having fantasies of buying it to display in the shop window but the estimate is £600-£750, which might be okay for a museum or an actual collector but is a huge leap for a mere shop window. We are having a board meeting to discuss this (or would if we had a board). Meanwhile, reminded by the textile sample of the wonders of Rex Whistler, we shall have five of his paintings on the Post this week. First of all The Letter, which must be in a private collection as it is not on the Art UK site. It was used to illustrate a review of Adrian Tinniswood’s The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars, so will be dated and attributed in that book (which is now ordered for the shop, it will be sold with the usual grey and white sticker – ‘£5 off, we think hardbacks are too expensive’).