‘Kings of The Road’ The Roland Queney Art Collection

A fascinating collection of seven paintings by Roland Lucien Queney (1910-1996) will be coming up for auction in December 2022. Combining contemporary surrealism with naïve art, Queney’s paintings are quite distinctive and his style recognisable. Although his work has been exhibited at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, there is very little evidence of art market sales for his work.

Roland lived in Birmingham and had been a friend of the seller’s father-in law Reg Gilbert since the 1930’s and left the collection to him some 25 years ago.

Reg Gilbert had first met Roland when he worked for Wal Handley, a Birmingham motorcycle dealer, and well-known Isle of Man TT rider. In those days, before WW2, motorbike number plates were painted by hand and Roland used to come in each week to do this. It is likely that his day job was a sign writer.

Later Roland, worked for Joseph Lucas Lamps in Birmingham and won first prize in an art competition with the painting entitled ‘Kings of The Road’ which was also the name of Lucas’s best-selling pre-war headlight.

The paintings on offer date mainly from the 1980’s’ and some have French titles. It is possible that Queney’s mum was French and Roland’s father was Henry Eugene.

All the paintings have exhibition labels from the Birmingham Royal Society of Arts although they have no records of RLQ.

The collection includes such titles as ‘The Passing of another Hogmanay’, ‘The Dolly Tub’ and the ‘Kings of the Road’. They will be auctioned on 6^th December and are expected to raise £1,000 to £2,000.

Browse the lots (Lots 150 to 156).