Dame Ethel Walker, British 1861-1951 - Portrait of a lady,...

Dame Ethel Walker,
British 1861-1951 -

Portrait of a lady, looking in a mirror;

oil on canvas, signed lower right Ethel Walker', 51 x 40.8 cm

Provenance:
Grace English (1891-1956), gifted by the artist and thence by descent

Note:
this is classic example of Walker's style, with its subtle gradations of chalky paint and quiet, almost breathless atmosphere. The intimate handling of the scene and the gentle contrast between fluid paint and bare contract are reminiscent of French artists such as Edouard Vuillard. Other works on this theme are in public collections including the Government Art Collection, Manchester Art Gallery and The Courtauld, London.

The artist exhibited widely in the UK during her lifetime and was the subject of a major retrospective at the Tate in 1951, alongside her contemporaries Gwen John and Frances Hodgkins and organised by John Rothenstein. More recently, her work was central to Tate Britain's 'Queer British Art 1861-1967' in 2017.

Grace English was an artist, who studied at the Slade from 1912-14. Her works are in public collections including UCL Culture and Kensington Central Library.