A well known painting by acclaimed Spanish artist Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida is set to cross the block at Bonhams.
The work is titled Viejo pescador en una barca (Old fisherman in a boat) and was painted in La Albufera, Valencia, where Sorolla worked in the summer of 1895.
Joaquin Sorolla painted this fisherman on two occasions
The model appears in another work painted around the same time.
Sorolla is one of Spain’s best known artists, celebrated for his extraordinary ability to capture the radiant Iberian light.
The majority of his paintings depict beach scenes, often featuring bathers and fisherman.
Charles O’Brien, Bonhams’ director of 19th century paintings, said: “In the mid-1890s, Sorolla experimented with the contrast between light and shadow.
“He was also particularly interested in conveying the lives of ordinary working people, principally workers at sea.
“These two preoccupations come together perfectly in Viejo pescador en una barca.
“The immediacy with which the old fisherman is portrayed allows the viewer to engage directly with him, while also appreciating the striking Valencian sun.”
An enormously popular artist, Sorolla’s work is in huge demand. In 2012, his Pescadores Valencianos (1895) achieved $5.5m at auction.
The present lot is valued at £150,000-200,000 ($193,684-258,246), which reflects its status as an important but minor work.
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about art and photography auctions.
