27/09/2021
Forty paintings spanning four decades of the work of prominent Leicester artist Roy Bizley made £5,775 in total when they went under the hammer in our 20th Century Art and Design auction on October 5th.
The paintings were sold by the late artist’s family in support of LOROS, who provide local hospice care for patients throughout Leicestershire and Rutland. The charity will receive all proceeds from the sale of the works of art, due to the usual seller’s fees being waived by Gildings.
Highlights included two untitled abstract paintings dating from the early 1980s, from Bizley’s ‘Terrace’ series of paintings, which dramatically depict the changing seasons in the artist’s Oadby garden. These sold for £420 and £400, doubling estimates of £150 - £200. Another standout lot was Abstract Landscape, which was painted in 1996 and sold against the same estimate for £360. Equally striking abstract paintings of the glacial Icelandic landscapes that became Bizley’s trademark following several trips there also performed well on the day.
“It was a pleasure to sell these paintings spanning works of art from the 1950s to the 1990s on behalf of the Bizley family,” comments Gildings’ director and 20th century art specialist, Will Gilding. “As LOROS is a cause close to the hearts of so many people in our area, we were happy to waive our usual fees to help support the charity in their vital work.”
Born in Swindon in 1930, Roy Bizley studied painting and lithography at Slade School of Fine Art in London. On graduating, he joined his girlfriend Pat in Melbourne, Australia where he taught and exhibited in the vibrant art scene of the time. In 1960, he and his now wife returned to the UK in anticipation of the birth of their son. In 1964, the family moved to Leicester, where Bizley was instrumental in setting up the printmaking department at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) and went on to teach until his retirement. Bizley lived in Leicester until his death in 1999.
“As well as the consistently good prices achieved for the paintings, it was great to see them attracting interest from a wide variety of bidders,” adds Will. “So, in addition to benefiting an important local charity, these unique works of art will now enjoy a new lease of life with their appreciative new owners in homes and other settings around our region and beyond.”
LOROS support engagement coordinator Bruce Smith comments, “We are very grateful to Gildings for working with the Bizley family to auction these fantastic works of art in memory of Roy. Each year, we have to raise more than £6 million to continue offering our high-quality, compassionate care services to over 2,500 patients and their families across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The new owners of these paintings can enjoy their work of art in the knowledge that they have helped us to do just that.”