Horse in the Rain, estimated at £70,000 – 100,000, is the highlight of a remarkable selection of 12 works by Dame Elisabeth Frink in Bonhams’ Modern British and Irish Art sale, on 18th November at Bonhams New Bond Street.

Internationally celebrated as one of the leading figures of post-war British art, Elisabeth Frink (1930 – 1993) was renowned for imbuing bronze sculpture with a living quality rarely achieved in the medium.

Horse in the Rain was inspired by the Camargue horses Frink encountered after she moved to the south of France in 1967. The wild, indigenous breed were to Frink: “much more to do with the ancient spirit of the horse in relation to Man. The animals I make are far more what I feel for them than what they are in real life.”

The sale also features a previously unrecorded work by Frink. Eagle, estimated at £6,000 – 8,000, was acquired directly from Frink by Susanna, Lady Walton, who then gave it to the present owner.
It has been confirmed by the Estate of Elisabeth Frink as a new addition to the artist’s database.

Dog I, estimated at £40,000 – 60,000, is a further highlight of the sale and a work very personally connected to its creator. The current owner recalls: “many years ago, we were guests of Elisabeth and her husband at their charming rambling farmhouse in Dorset. Dog I was modeled on their own. The family tossed him the lamb bones during the meal, which he very much enjoyed on the Persian rugs! It was a most memorable visit.”

Matthew Bradbury, Bonhams Director of Modern British and Irish Art commented: “Frink was central to the dialogs of post-war British art, figurative sculpture and the history of female artists. These works provide a selected overview of her complex output and her crucial historical significance in Britain.”

Graham Sutherland’s Figure and Vine, estimated at £130,000 – 180,000 and L. S. Lowry’s The Gossips, Two Ladies, estimated at £80,000 – 150,000, will also feature in the sale.