At a time when theatres are horribly Dark this group of Topolski’s drawings is a vivid and poignant reminder of the importance of vigorous Theatre. He loved the look of the stage; the spotlit emphasis of actors in extremis and the fantastical inventiveness of the Avant Garde. RSC Shakespeare to Ed Bullins at the Ambiance Theatre Club in a Queensway basement …
All works come direct from the Artist’s Estate.
VIEWING, COLLECTING, FRAMING and POSTAGE
We are continuing to use the Gallery as an office during lockdown, so collections can be arranged, as can Personalised Window Viewings. These drawings are sold mounted, but can be framed in a simple oak or black moulding, with UV glass, for £75. Postage to UK addresses is included.
1. ‘Romeo & Juliet, Ian McKellen, Francesca Annis, R.S.C.’. The 1976 RSC Aldwych Theatre Production directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Ian McKellen and Francesca Annis. Chalk and pastel on mauve Ingres Paper. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 18x12 inches. £975.
2. ‘The Misanthrope, N.T.’. The 1972 National Theatre Old Vic Production of Moliere’s ‘The Misanthrope’ set in contemporary dress in De Gaulle’s Paris. Directed by John Dexter and starring Diana Rigg (‘the reigning Queen of bitchy wits…) (centre) as ‘Celimene’, Alec McCowan as ‘Alceste’ (top left), Jeremy Clyde as ‘Clitandre’ (bottom left) and Nicholas Clay as ‘Acaste’ (bottom right). Chalk and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12.25x9.75 inches. £875.
3. ‘Coriolanus, R.S.C.’. The 1978 RSC Aldwych Theatre Production directed by Terry Hands and starring Alan Howard (1937-2015) Fibre-tip pen and pastel on blue tinted Ingres Paper. Inscribed and dated, ‘2.7.(19)78’ by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 18x12 inches. £775.
4. ‘The Saxon Shore, Almeida’. ‘The 1986 Almeida Theatre Production of David Rudkin’s 1982 play, directed by Pierre Audi and starring Gerard Murphy. Although set in Roman times it was about the cultural conflict in Ireland and was commissioned by Brian Friel’s Theatre Company in Derry, but rejected. Chalk and fibre-tip pen on yellow paper. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9 inches. £575.
5. ‘Measure for Measure, N.T.’. Directed in 1981 by Michael Rudman and the first National Theatre Production to have a majority of ethnic minority actors. Starring Norman Beaton as ‘Angelo’ (centre), Bertice Reading as ‘Mistress Overdone’ (centre), Yvette Harris as ‘Isabella’ (back view bottom left) and Peter Straker as ‘Lucio’ (top right). Chalk and fibre-tip pen on grey paper. Signed, inscribed by the artist and dated '14.4.81’. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9 inches. £975.
6. ‘That Good Between Us, Howard Barker, Warehouse’. The 1977 RSC Warehouse Production directed by Barry Kyle of ‘The Good Between Us; Credentials of a Sympathizer’ by Howard Barker. Chalk and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed by the artist. Dated ‘1977’. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 14x10 inches. £875.
7. ‘Ed Bullin’s The Gentleman Caller at The Ambiance / She’s playing her role’. The 1969 Ambiance Theatre Production directed by Roland Rees. Pencil and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 10x14 inches. £975.
8. ‘Congreve’s The Double Dealer, N.T.’ (Cf.no.26). The 1978 National Theatre Production directed by Peter Wood and starring Dermot Crowley as ‘Careless’ (in green), Judi Bowker as ‘Cynthia’ (white dress), Michael Bryant as ‘Sir Paul Plyant’ (grey /white wig centre), Ralph Richardson as ‘Lord Touchwood’ (right of Bryant) and Robert Stephens as ‘Maskwell’ (in yellow). Ink, crayon and fibre-tip pen on tan paper. Inscribed and dated '27.9.(19)78’ by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9 inches. £875.●
9. ‘Genet. Le Balcon’. The style of the drawing suggests the 1957 Arts Theatre Club Production directed by Peter Zadek and starring Selma Vaz Dias (‘Irma’) and Hazel Penwarden (‘Chantal’). Genet disrupted the First Night and accused Zadek of the ‘attempted murder’ of his play. Ball-point pen, ink and watercolour. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 7x10 inches. £775.
10. ‘Pal Joey / Half Moon’. The 1980 Half Moon Theatre Production directed by Rob Walker and starring Dennis Lawson (‘Joey Evans’) and Sian Phillips (‘Vera Simpson’). Chalk, ink and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed and dated ‘August (19)80’ by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 14x10 inches. £775.
11. ‘People Show No.79’. The 1980 ICA Production of Jeff Nuttall and Mike Long’s multi-disciplinary, multi-media live theatre group performance. Chalk and fibre-tip pen. Topolski painted a large oil painting of this production. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9 inches. £775.
12. ‘Le Mal Court / Comedie de Jacques Audiberti / Theatre de Bruyere / Suzanne Flon / Jacques Amyzan / Peter Latour’. The 1947 Theatre La Bruyere, Paris, Production directed by George Vitaly. Pencil and ink. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. Damaged by fire in the artist’s studio. 14x10 inches. £775.
13. ‘Richard III / The Rustaveli Co of Georgia / Chkhikvadze’. The 1980 Round House Production of ‘Richard III’ by The Rustaveli Theatre Company directed by Robert Sturua and starring Ramaz Chkhikvadze (‘The Laurence Olivier of the Caucasus'). Brought from the Edinburgh Festival and financed by Robert Maxwell. Chalk and fibre-tip pen on pink paper. Inscribed by the artist. 12x9 inches. £975.
14. ‘La Mama Troupe in ‘Tom Paine’ by Paul Foster’. The 1967 Edinburgh Festival / Vaudeville Theatre (or Churchill Theatre) Michael White World Premiere Production by Ellen Stewart’s La Mama Experimental Theatre Club of Paul Foster’s ‘Thomas Paine’. Chalk. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 10x14 inches. £975.
15. ‘Total Eclipse’ by Christopher Hampton. The 1981 Lyric Hammersmith Production directed by David Hare and starring Simon Callow as ‘Verlaine’, Hilton Macrae as ‘Rimbaud’ and Lynsey Baxter as ‘Mathilde Verlaine’. Chalk and fibre-tip pen on yellow paper. Signed. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9 inches. £975.
16. ‘Carte Blanche’. The 1976 Phoenix Theatre Production of the erotic review devised by Kenneth Tynan. Chalk. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 11.5x16.5 inches. £775.
17. ‘How Do You Do, Ed Bullins at The Ambience’ (sic). The 1972 Production of Ed Bullin’s 1965 play at Ed Berman’s Ambiance Theatre Club, Queensway founded in 1968. Ellen Stewart (founder of La MaMa and actress) (centre). Crayon and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 14x10 inches. £1250.
18. ‘Diary of a Hunger Strike, Hull Truck Theatre’. The 1982 Round House Production of ‘Diary of a Hunger Strike’ by Peter Sheridan, a chronicle of the Bobby Sands Hunger Protest. Chalk and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed, signed and dated (19)’82’. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x18 inches. £1250.
19. Dame Edith Evans: a study related to ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ (Oil on canvas, 1947, Garrick Club). Dame Edith played ‘Cleopatra’ in the 1946 Piccadilly Theatre Production directed by Glen Byam Shaw. Pencil, brush and inks. Circa 1947. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 14.25x10 inches. £975.
20. ‘The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, by Brecht, at the Half Moon Theatre’. The 1978 Half Moon Theatre Production of Brecht’s play directed by Rob Walker, designed by Iona MacLeish and starring Simon Callow as ‘Ui’. Howard Lew Lewis and David Fielder also included here. Topolski painted a full-scale portrait of Callow in this role. Chalk, pastel and fibre-tip pen. Signed. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x18 inches. £1250.
21. Dame Edith Evans: a study related to ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. (Oil on canvas, 1947, Garrick Club). Dame Edith played ‘Cleopatra’ in the 1946 Piccadilly Theatre Production directed by Glen Byam Shaw. Pencil, brush and inks. Circa 1947. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. Damaged by fire in the artist’s studio. £975.
22. ‘Weapons of Happiness by Howard Benton, N.T.’. The 1976 National Theatre Production of ‘The Weapons of Happiness’ by Howard Brenton directed by David Hare. Starring Frank Finlay (centre) Derek Thompson (left of Finlay with curly hair) Michael Medwin (bottom left). Chalk, fibre-tip pen and pastel. Inscribed and dated ’13.7.(19)76’ by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 9.75x12.25 inches. £975.
23. ‘The Women Pirates, R.S.C.’. The 1978 RSC Aldwych Theatre Production of ‘Women Pirates’ by Steve Gooch starring Diana Quick as ‘Anne Bonney’ and Charlotte Cornwell as ‘Mary Read’. Chalk and fibre-tip pen. Inscribed and dated ‘31.7.(19)78’ by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9.75 inches. £775.
24. ‘Mother Courage & Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, play reading at the Institute of Contemporary Art’. The 1955 Production of Brecht’s ‘Mother Courage’ was directed by Eric Capon at the ICA. Pencil, pen and ink. 1955. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 9x14.5 inches. £975.
25. ‘My Fair Lady, New York’. The 1956 Premier Production of Lerner and Lowe's musical at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York starring Julie Andrews as ‘Eliza’, Rex Harrison as ‘Professor Higgins’ and Stanley Holloway as ‘Mr Doolittle. ’Topolski illustrated a Penguin edition of George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ and his correspondence with Shaw is in the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas. Pencil, rush and ink Inscribed and dated ‘1956’ by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. Damaged by fire in the artist’s studio. 9.5x12 inches irregular. £975.
26. ‘W.Congreve’s The Double Dealer, N.T.’ The 1978 National Theatre Production directed by Peter Wood with Michael Bryant as ‘Sir Paul Plyant’ and Judi Bowker as ‘Cynthia’. Fibre-tip pen. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 12x9 inches. £975.
27. ‘As You Like It, R.S.C.’. The 1978 R.S.C Production of ‘As You Like It’ directed by John Caird and starring Charlotte Cornwell (‘Rosalind’), Cherie Lunghi (‘Celia’), Alan David (‘Touchstone’). Fibre-tip pen and pastel on blue paper. Inscribed by the artist. Provenance: Artist’s Estate. 9x12 inches. £875.