Featured Westcountry Artists at Plymouth Auction Rooms

Here at Plymouth Auction Rooms, we are well-known for our specialist art sales. Our long-established auctions feature a host of paintings and prints by popular Westcountry artists including Robert Lenkiewicz, Beryl Cook, Fred Yates, Brian Pollard, Arth Lawr and many others, alongside selected other British artworks.

We thought we’d take a closer look at our local featured artists and their fascinating backgrounds. Read on to find out more.

Robert Lenkiewicz 

Without a doubt, the headline pieces at our Contemporary Art Auctions belong to Robert Lenkiewicz. As the ‘go to’ auction house for valuations and sale of his artwork, we are proud to be associated with the Lenkiewicz Foundation, regularly receiving consignments from across the country and overseas.

He was and still is one of most celebrated Westcountry artists of modern times. His artwork communicates directly with ordinary people who recognised that he was not only an artist of considerable talent but someone who had the power to make them contemplate the world they live in.

Lenkiewicz produced as many as 10,000 works (including his prolific pieces as a pencil portrait artist) and they were categorised into themed ‘projects’ investigating hidden communities (Project 1, Vagrancy and Project 3, Mental Handicap) or difficult social issues (Project 12, Suicide and Project 15, Death).

Here at Plymouth Auction Rooms, we have sold countless Lenkiewicz pieces, ranging from early pencil sketches to large-scale original works. A particular highlight has to be a self-portrait piece titled ‘Self Portrait With Blue Scarf’ (1941-2002) which sold under the gavel for an astounding £14,000 plus fees.

Beryl Cook 

Beryl Cook was a much-loved member of the local community, and we frequently hear about our customer’s experiences with her on our social media pages.

Beryl’s artistic journey began when she discovered her love for painting on suitable driftwood pieces. Beryl and her family owned a guesthouse on Plymouth Hoe, and soon the walls were overflowing with her works. In the mid-1970s, a guest saw the paintings and put Beryl in touch with Bernard Samuels who ran the Plymouth Arts Centre. The rest, as they say, is history.

Beryl’s paintings depict her interest in people enjoying themselves. From nightlife to sunbathing, dancing and walking on the beach, the diverse spectrum of human activities can be found in her work, most of which reveal her strong sense of humour.

We regularly consign Beryl Cook pieces and they always drum up substantial interest at auction. One particular auction saw a rare double-sided painting titled ‘French Tango’ and ‘The Expedition’ which was framed and signed, sell for over £10,000 plus fees.

Fred Yates 

Yates moved to Cornwall in 1968 and made a living pursuing his passion for painting, whilst supplementing his income with gardening work for neighbours.

Known for his Plein-air paintings of the English landscape, he was heavily influenced by the Naïve art style and can easily be recognised by his use of bold colours, loose brushwork and child-like abstractions.

We have sold several Fred Yates collections and are delighted to have achieved some of the highest prices for his work including a still life painting for £5,100 to a collector in Florida, ‘Resurrection’ for £9,300, ‘Botallack, St Just, Cornwall’ for £6,800 and ‘Preston Park, Brighton’ for £6,600.

Brian Pollard 

Brian Pollard is acknowledged as one of the most popular naïve painters in the South West of England. His seascapes of Devon and Cornwall are instantly recognisable, with hot air balloons and fluffy white clouds drifting across cerulean blue skies.

Brian lives and paints in the South West and is a member of the ABNA– the Association of British Naïve Artists. Brian is also a patron of St. Luke’s Hospice, who commissioned him to paint the first elephant for Elmer’s big parade.

Plymouth Auction Rooms were honoured to be the chosen auctioneer to assist with the sale of the 40 elephant sculptures. The sale was truly electrifying, and after almost 3 hours on the rostrum- the sale raised a staggering £323,750 for St. Luke’s Hospice.

Westcountry Artists at Plymouth Auction Rooms 

We would be delighted to offer a free valuation on any artwork you have that you think would do well. It’s easy to consign with us and you can take a closer look at our FAQs here. 

Alternatively, you can get in touch with our team by calling 01752 254740 or following us on Facebook or Instagram.