We are now inviting entries for our next Art & Design Post 1880 sale on 1 December 2026 (with an entry deadline of 3 November).
Please contact us if you are interested in having an item valued.
All prices quoted in this article include Buyer's Premium.
Our 21 July 2026 Art & Design Post-1880 sale continued Gorringe’s successful summer season. There was an air of energy and anticipation at the auction house as visitors filled the viewing rooms to admire the exceptional selection of paintings, ceramics, sculpture and design, setting the stage for a lively day of bidding.
There was consistent competition across all sections of the auction. Bidding was notably international, attracting buyers from across the UK and Europe, as well as the United States, Australia, Vietnam and other countries.
Lot 32: Harold Gilman, (1876-1919), The artist's mother
Paintings and pictures formed the centrepiece of the sale, led by the undisputed highlight of the day - Harold Gilman’s intimate domestic scene depicting the artist’s mother Emily, resting serenely in a chair.
Returning to the market for the first time since Christie’s 1997 Modern British Art sale, and subsequently held in a private Kent collection, the painting inspired determined bidding and far exceeded expectations, eventually realising £100,000. The result established the portrait as the most expensive work by Gilman to be sold outside London.
The momentum continued with the return of another celebrated twentieth-century British artist to Gorringe’s: Duncan Grant. Grant’s warm and familiar view of the great Sussex landscape (Lot 50) attracted strong interest.
Consigned from a private collection in Surrey, the work had previously belonged to Grant’s great friend and muse, Paul Roche. The landscape view near Charleston prompted a spirited bidding battle, ultimately achieving £17,500.
Lot 89: John Piper OM CH, (1903-1992), 'Knole, Kent'
Equally notable was John Piper’s atmospheric and evocative view of Knole (Lot 89). Painted in the early 1940s, the work was probably part of a series of views of the Kent country house, commissioned by Piper’s friend and patron Edward Sackville-West, 5th Baron Sackville.
Formerly in the collection of Museum Curator Roger Peers, the work which realised £18,750 — comfortably eclipsing its pre-sale estimate of £5,000-£8,000 — was evidence of the continuing demand for significant examples of modern British art.
Lot 160: David Hockney OM CH RA, (1937-2026), 'Untitled (Fireworks)'
David Hockney’s vibrant drawing (Lot 160) generated considerable discussion at the auction house. The small but characteristically energetic work had an interesting provenance, originally created for a charity auction, The Secret Art Auction in aid of St Wilfrid's Hospice, Eastbourne. The piece attracted competitive bidding before selling for £12,500.
Sculpture also performed particularly well as our eclectic selection saw keen interest from collectors.
Lot 284: Sean Henry, (b. 1965), 'Man of Honour'
Two works by Sean Henry (lots 284 and 285), originally acquired from Osborne Samuel Gallery in Mayfair, stood in striking contrast to the more traditional sculpture one might expect to find at an auction house – rather than muscular warriors or barely clad maidens, Henry's work explores the human condition through anonymous contemporary figures that appear both familiar and enigmatic, businessmen, construction workers and other universal characters whose quiet gestures and contemplative poses invite viewers to reflect on identity, memory and shared experience. Impactful and thought-provoking, the sculptures drew sustained interest from bidders, with ‘Man of Honour’, Lot 284, realising £9,750, while ‘Sic Transit Gloria Mundi’ (Lot 285) achieved £8,750.
Lot 276: Eric Hebborn, (1934-1996), Head and torso study
Another standout result came from Eric Hebborn’s bronze Head and Torso Study (Lot 276), which comfortably surpassed its £800–£1,200 estimate to realise £5,250. This result established the work as the highest-priced Hebborn sculpture sold at auction to date.
Ceramics proved one of the strongest-performing categories of the sale, attracting competitive bidding from collectors both in the UK and overseas.
Lot 224: Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973): 'Sujet Poisson ('Fish subject')
Among the highlights was a charming fish-form drinking vessel decorated by the graceful hand of Pablo Picasso (Lot 224), which generated considerable interest before selling for £4,000.
Mid-century design continued to demonstrate resilience despite a more selective furniture market. The standout piece was Lot 338, a Ueli Berger-designed De Sede modular sofa. Its distinctive snake-like form certainly captured bidders as its price climbed to £3,750.
Completing the strong run of design results was Lot 315, the sleek Charles and Ray Eames chair. Reflecting the enduring appeal of iconic post-war design, the chair attracted competitive bidding and achieved £3,000.
From major paintings by Modern British masters to playful studio ceramics and iconic pieces of mid-century design, the post-1880 sale demonstrated continued confidence in the market for twentieth-century collecting and an enduring appetite for exceptional works with distinguished provenance. Strong international participation and impressive results across multiple categories ensured the sale was another memorable chapter in Gorringe’s successful summer season.
