TRISTRAM HILLIER, oil on canvas

TRISTRAM HILLIER (British, 1905-1983), "Hommage a Andre Simon", 1957, oil on canvas, signed by monogram "TH" and dated upper right. Patched tear with overpainting at lower left and nearby area with three small flakes, crackle and craquelure, stretcher marks. Canvas 24"h, 32"w. Literature: Pery, Jenny, "Painter Pilgrim: The Art and Life of Tristram Hillier", London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2008, p. 108, illustrated p. 106, fig. 86. Provenance: Purchased by the current owner from a Long Island Estate. Catalog note: According to Pery, "Hillier was a serious connoisseur of wine", (p. 108), and she adds that: "A 1957 painting `Hommage a Andre Simon', was inspired by a luncheon hosted that year by a new admirer, George Rainbird", (ibid). Hillier's daughter, Anna-Clare Hillier, has confirmed this, saying the painting "was commissioned by George Rainbird, the publisher, and the bottles were consumed during the course of a long lunch. Among the guests was Andre Simon." Our thanks to Anna-Clare Hillier for her assistance in cataloging this lot and for providing images of the aforementioned luncheon menu in her possession (pictured here). The menu is signed by some of the guests, including Andre Simon, and lists the bottles consumed and later painted by her father.