Sale Highlights

Beryl Cook (1926-2008) a rare double sided painting, 'French Tango' and 'The Expedition' oil on board, framed, 113.50cm x 88.50cm. Signed on one side. "It’s not just the faces, but the whole of Beryl’s paintings that have a ‘look’. She fills them with bold, clear designs that immediately cheer you up. Her description of the tango bar is very telling. She was uncomfortable when the bar was empty, except for a frenzied couple dancing, but when many more customers arrived she was happier, stopped laughing nervously, and ‘everything settled down’... When you look closely at her compositions you can see that everything in them, every movement, mass, look and shape is balanced or echoed, one by another, until the whole picture seems to dance together." Julian Spalding in Beryl Cook Happy Days, 1995.

Early Summer 2019 we were delighted to be invited by St. Lukes Hospice, Plymouth to provide our auctioneering services for the sale of the 40 Elmer Elephant Sculptures. Having sold many items for the charity over the years we did not hesitate in offering our services free of charge for such a wonderful cause. Following the Elmer’s Big Parade around the city where the sculptures, each featuring a unique design by a talented artist, delighted tens of thousands; it was now down to the final part of the journey, the main event. Plymouth Auction Rooms were involved in the cataloguing, logistics and marketing of the Elmer Sculptures and in with St. Lukes Hospice, we were delighted it all came together on the evening on 9^th October where auctioneer Paul Keen took to the rostrum to greet a packed out Toys ‘R Us. The sale was truly electrifying with cheering, clapping and amazing excitement. For almost 3 hours Paul pushed for more and more bids smashing all expectations. The sale concluded with a rapturous applause and a standing ovation. The sale raised a staggering £323,750 for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth. This is the equivalent of providing over 350 families with hospice care at home.