Artisan

Never-before-seen Cedric Morris painting to be auctioned

A surrealist landscape by celebrated artist and plantsman, Cedric Morris, will go under the hammer at the Cambridge-based auctioneers, Cheffins later this month.

Cedric Morris painting

A gift by Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris (1889-1982) to Bettina Shaw-Lawrence, a beautiful surrealist landscape, with a view of a Welsh cottage painted on the reverse, is being offered for sale at auction on the 27th of February. The work carries an estimate of £30,000 – £50,000 and will be part of Cheffin’s Art & Design Sale.

According to Cheffins, Bettina Shaw-Lawrence, was a student of the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, which was established by Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines in 1937. She met Morris in 1939, introduced by his students, David Kentish and Lucian Freud. Shaw-Lawrence, a promising young artist in her own right, was drawn to Morris’s bold vision and charismatic personality. Their friendship flourished as they discovered shared interests in art, nature, and travel, with Morris becoming something of a mentor figure to the younger Shaw-Lawrence.

Shaw-Lawrence was a frequent visitor to Benton End, the Suffolk home Morris shared with his partner, Lett-Haines. Benton End was a hub for creativity, hosting a thriving community of artists, writers, and thinkers. Here, amidst Morris’s famed gardens, Shaw-Lawrence found inspiration and a space to develop her artistic voice. Benton End, currently in the ownership of the Garden Museum, is being restored to revive its vibrant legacy as a key site at the intersection of the arts and horticulture.

Believed to have been completed in the 1930’s, the painting represents a period in Cedric Morris’s career during which he produced some of his most refined still life works. Previously kept by the family of Bettina Shaw-Lawrence, this is the first time the painting has come up for sale on the open market. One of the most sought-after artists in the post-modern market, the work is expected to attract much interest – especially as it depicts Morris’ most prized plant, the bearded iris.

In 2023, Cheffins sold another painting by Cedric Morris of the farm buildings at Benton End, with the reverse painted with a floral still life attributed to Lucy Harwood, for £44,000.