Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
It was a typical day at the Oxfam charity shop in Banbury, Oxfordshire, when a donor dropped off a large oil painting of a naked man lying on a beach. The staff, who were used to receiving all kinds of donations, did not think much of it and put a price tag of £200 on it.
Little did they know that they had stumbled upon a possible masterpiece by one of Britain’s most celebrated Impressionist painters, Henry Tuke. Tuke, who lived from 1858 to 1929, was renowned for his nude studies of young men, often set in idyllic coastal scenes. He was also a prominent member of the Newlyn School, a group of artists who worked in Cornwall and influenced the development of British art.
The painting, which measures 30 by 40 inches, depicts a muscular man lying on his back on a sandy shore, with his head resting on his arm and his eyes closed. The man’s skin tone contrasts with the blue sky and the green sea, creating a striking impression of light and color. The painting is signed “H. Tuke” on the lower right corner, but the date is illegible.
The painting caught the eye of a local art dealer, who recognized the signature and the style of Tuke. He contacted the auction house Bonhams, who agreed to take the painting for further examination. Bonhams’ experts confirmed that the painting was likely to be a genuine Tuke, based on the brushwork, the composition, and the subject matter. They also noted that the painting had some similarities with another Tuke work, “The Sun Worshipper”, which was sold for £313,250 in 2010.
The painting was then put up for auction at Bonhams’ 19th Century Paintings sale in London on June 9, 2010. It attracted a lot of interest from collectors and enthusiasts, who were eager to own a rare and beautiful piece of British art history. The bidding started at £2,000 and quickly rose to £4,000, when the hammer fell. The painting was sold to a private collector, who wished to remain anonymous. The Oxfam charity shop, which received half of the proceeds, was delighted with the unexpected windfall.
The painting’s discovery and sale is a remarkable story of luck and serendipity, as well as a testament to the enduring appeal and value of Tuke’s art. Tuke, who was openly gay, faced discrimination and censorship in his lifetime, but he never compromised his artistic vision. He painted what he loved, and he loved what he painted. His paintings are not only beautiful, but also brave and honest, capturing the joy and freedom of the human body and spirit. As he once said, “I paint what I see and as I see it.” And what he saw was the naked truth.
