Aubrey Williams,  Civilisation Perdu, 1960;

Lot description

Aubrey Williams, Guyanese/British 1926-1990 - Civilisation Perdu, 1960; oil on canvas, signed, dated and titled on the reverse 'Aubrey Williams 1960 Civilisation Perdu', 90.5 x 101 cm (ARR) Provenance: with New Visions Gallery, London (according to the artist's inscription on the reverse); Private Collection, Switzerland and thence by descent Note: this piece is typical of Williams's style of the 1950s, combining abstract impressionist tendencies with the forms and symbols of the pre-Colombian art of the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas. After moving to the city in the 1950s, Williams became a major figure in the London art world, especially through his connection with the South African artist Denis Bowen, who founded the New Visions Gallery in London. Williams co-founded the Caribbean Artists Movement with other London-based Caribbean artists and intellectuals, such as Ronald Moody, Stuart Hall and Orlando Patterson. His artwork is currently in the collection of the Tate in London, the Arts Council, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and the Bristol Museum and Gallery, among others. His work was central to the 2022 exhibition, 'Post-war Modern: New Art in Britain 1945-1965' at the Barbican Centre, London and other recent internationally acclaimed shows including 'Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 50s – Now', 2021 at Tate Britain and 'The Gift of Art', 2018 at the Perez Art Museum, Miami.