Beautiful 'Moon Observed' Exhibition At Watercolours + Works On Paper Fair

Posted: 26/01/12

  • Philippa Warr

Beautiful 'Moon Observed' exhibition at Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair(l-r) Artworks by Graham Sutherland, Pierre Auguste Renoir and poster by John Hassall

The Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair returns to London's Science Museum (2-5 February - pop it in the diary) for its annual celebration and sale of art on paper and this year it's also accompanied by a loan exhibition of beautiful lunar drawings.

The exhibition entitled The Moon Observed takes inspiration from drawings of the Moon's surface by engineer, astronomer and artist James Nasmyth (1808-1890'). Work by Nasmyth will sit alongside pieces by other artists who share his fascination with our nearest celestial neighbour. The loan exhibition promises to be a mixture of straight observational studies and, what the fair is terming "imaginative lines of enquiry".

Beautiful 'Moon Observed' exhibition at Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Sadly the exhibition works are not for sale but that doesn't mean you can't take home some gems of your own - everything else at the fair is available to buy. Big name pieces include a soft-ground etching by Pierre Auguste Renoir (La Dance a la Campagne - £10,000), a lithograph by Odilon Redon (Lueur Recaire, une Tete a l'Infini suspendu - £1,750) and a watercolour and ink drawing by Graham Sutherland (Tree at Picton - £7,800) but, unless you're being inconvenienced by a particularly heavy wallet and a love of one of those artists, we're big fans of the 'have a good old root around and pick up something you love' strategy!

Take a peek at some of the art you can find at the fair in the gallery below:

The Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair

  • <p> Graham Sutherland (1903-1980)<br /> <strong>Tree at Picton</strong><br /> Watercolour and ink over pencil<br /> 20 x 15cm<br /> &pound;7800<br /> To be Exhibited at the Works on Paper Fair 2012 by Harry Moore-Gwyn</p>
  • <p> Ali Yanya<br /> <strong>Man with Hat</strong><br /> Drypoint<br /> 20cm x 29cm<br /> &pound;275.00 edition of 8<br /> To be exhibited at the Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair 2012 by Orme 11</p>
  • <p> John Hassall (1868-1948)<br /> <strong>Babes in the Wood</strong><br /> Printed poster<br /> 48cm x 73cm<br /> &pound;900<br /> Poster for The Drury Lane Pantomime, 1907<br /> To be exhibited at the Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair 2012 by The Rae-Smith Gallery</p>
  • <p> John Russell RA (1745-1806)<br /> <strong>Telescopic Study of the Moon &ndash; drawn in 1796.</strong><br /> Pastel on paper.</p> <p> NOT FOR SALE<br /> Science Museum Object No: 1922-34</p>
  • <p> Thomas Rowlandson (1757-1827)<br /> <strong>Looking at the Comet till you get a crick in the neck.</strong><br /> Coloured etching<br /> Published originally by T.Tegg</p> <p> NOT FOR SALE<br /> Science Museum Object No: 1986-1602</p>
  • <p> James Nasmyth (1808-1890)<br /> <strong>Gassendi and Crater &ndash; Surface of the Moon.</strong><br /> Gouache on paper laid on canvas.<br /> Inscribed and dated 1851.</p> <p> NOT FOR SALE<br /> Science Museum Object No: 1956&ndash;153/5</p>
  • <p> Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)<br /> <strong>La Dance &agrave; la Campagne (Dancing in the Country)</strong><br /> Soft-ground etching<br /> 22 x 13.6cm<br /> &pound;10,000<br /> To be Exhibited at the Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair 2012 by Elizabeth Harvey-Lee</p>


The Watercolours +Works on Paper Fair, 2-5 Feb, Science Museum

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