Christopher Dawson
Head of Department
Lot 9
Jessica Dismorr(British, 1885-1939)Mrs Ody 62.2 x 47 cm. (24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in.)
Amended
29 September 2021, 15:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £19,000 inc. premium
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Jessica Dismorr (British, 1885-1939)
Mrs Ody
oil and crayon on board
62.2 x 47 cm. (24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in.)
oil and crayon on board
62.2 x 47 cm. (24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in.)
Footnotes
Provenance
Sale; Christie's, London, 9 March 1990, lot 222, where purchased by the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.
Jessica Dismorr studied at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1902-03 and became a member of Wyndham Lewis's Rebel Art Centre, signing the Vorticist manifesto published in the first issue of Blast in 1914. She was one of only two female members of the Vorticist Group, the other being her friend Helen Saunders. Both artists appear in the William Roberts painting The Vorticists at the Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel: Spring 1915 (Tate Gallery), although they are relegated to the background, Dismorr clutching her purse while Saunders holds a copy of Blast in one arm and the door knob with the other hand.
Dismorr held her first solo exhibition at the avant-garde Mayor Gallery in 1925 with Frank Rutter, critic for The Sunday Times, commenting that the show 'should be seen by all interested in the modern movement'. Following this she became a member of The London Group and the Seven and Five Society and painted several portraits of women, many of whom were part of the intellectual and creative circles she moved in. Examples of this include The Piano Player (1928-34, Private Collection) and Portrait of Rachel Levy (circa 1927, Private Collection) who was a writer, archaeologist and librarian to the Hellenic and Roman Societies.
The stylish sitter in the present work is Mrs Ann Ody, the first wife of Robin Ody, her solicitor and friend who also acted as her executor. The portrait is rich in texture with the vivid colours of her earlier years replaced by more subtle and close tones and is a striking example of her ability as an artist, rarely available at auction.
Saleroom notices
Please note the sitter in the present lot is likely the painter Catherine Giles and not Mrs Ody. We are grateful to Quentin Stevenson for his assistance.