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A striking masterclass in Art Deco elegance, capturing the bold sophistication and stylized glamour of the interwar avant-garde. This captivating portrait, recently unearthed from a private collection where it was held by descent, features a poised subject rendered with the clean lines, geometric sensitivity, and dramatic chiaroscuro characteristic of the 1930s European school. The painting has been meticulously cleaned and conserved to restore its original depth and tonal brilliance. To match its exceptional aesthetic merit, the piece has been housed in a magnificent, bespoke gold leaf gallery frame, transforming this historic discovery into a commanding, turnkey centrepiece for the contemporary high-end interior.
An exceptional, gallery-scale piece of 1980s British contemporary art history.
Painted in December 1980 and executed for the highly competitive Tolly Cobbold Eastern Arts 3 Biennial Exhibition in 1981, this large-scale abstract work by London artist Paul Fowler perfectly encapsulates the brutalist, architectural visual language emerging from East London’s post-punk warehouse art scene.
Operating out of Wapping just as the area’s industrial decline gave birth to a raw, subterranean creative subculture, Fowler’s stark, mathematical lines and industrial palette directly mirror the post-punk graphic sensibilities that defined the turn of the decade.
Titled “Dry grey: linear remains,” the piece comes from Fowler's curated series “The glass box.” It commands immediate attention through its stark juxtaposition of ethereal, atmospheric washes and sharp, geometric forms.
The Aesthetic & Composition
Measuring a striking 87 x 94 cm, the artwork possesses incredible gallery presence. Fowler masterfully contrasts a moody, cloud-like background of muted greys, mauves, and soft terracotta tones with sharp, intersecting geometric linework in primary blues, reds, and a definitive yellow diagonal strike.
The composition features delicate, translucent white veiling that creates a multi-layered surface profile, giving the piece immense optical depth that changes beautifully depending on the room's natural light.
Provenance & Historical Authenticity
This piece is a heavily documented, collector-grade asset featuring exhaustive historical evidence intact on its original backboard:
Exhibition History: Bearing the official entry stamp (No. 0391) for the renowned Tolly Cobbold Eastern Arts 3 national touring exhibition (1981), a prestigious showcase that helped define British contemporary art in the late 20th century.
Studio Provenance: Hand-signed by the artist and labelled from his historic workspace at Studio 515, Metropolitan Wharf, Wapping Wall, London E1 - the literal epicentre of London’s pioneering, pre-gentrification 1980s warehouse art movement.
Gallery Representation: Handled by the Gilbert Parr Gallery on the King’s Road, Chelsea (1981) - a prominent destination for Modern British and St Ives modernists, known for exhibiting high-tier post-war figures such as William Scott and Dame Barbara Rae.
Archival Framing: Housed in its original, bespoke minimalist metal channel frame, assembled by the pioneering Atlantis Conservation System team at New Crane Wharf, Wapping.
Condition Report
The artwork itself is in pristine, original condition, beautifully preserved for over 45 years.
To maintain its absolute historical integrity, the piece remains housed under its original 1980s archival acrylic glazing, installed by Atlantis in 1980. Reflecting its decades of history and exhibition transit, the original acrylic features a single, clean, localized fracture line in the extreme bottom-right corner margin.
Curator's Note: In alignment with our preservation philosophy at ATLANTIC curated, we have chosen to retain this original vintage glazing to present the piece exactly as it existed during the 1980s Wapping warehouse movement. The isolated corner fracture sits safely away from both the composition and the artist's signature.
Dimensions
Width: 94 cm
Height: 87 cm
Depth: 2.5 cm (Minimalist metal profile)
Styling & Placement Notes
With its sharp graphic lines, subcultural grit, and industrial weight, this statement piece is perfectly suited for high-end residential interiors, minimalist workspaces, or mid-century modern architectural contexts. It acts as a phenomenal visual anchor when paired with brutalist objects, raw concrete or micro-cement surfaces, and classic 20th-century design furniture.
An exquisite, highly tactile contemporary modernist statement piece by acclaimed British artist Tony Yates RBA RBSA.
Executed in 2005 and handled by the prestigious Buckenham Galleries in Suffolk, this substantial, hand-cast white plaster relief plaque titled “Deux Femmes” beautifully bridges the gap between classical figurative elegance and raw, modern sculptural abstraction.
Composition & Visual Presence
Measuring an impressive 67.5 x 62 cm with an architectural depth of 4.5 cm the plaque carries immense physical and visual weight.
Yates masterfully captures the fluid, interconnected contours and classicizing drapery of two stylized female figures, retaining the honest, chalky, and structurally organic qualities of raw plaster. Because of the deep, high-relief casting, the piece interacts dynamically with ambient light, throwing deep, dramatic shadows that shift beautifully throughout the day. The raw white plaster is set in sharp, editorial contrast against a deep, dark textured backing, mounted inside a custom-designed black shadow-box style frame.
Provenance & Authenticity
This investment-grade asset boasts absolute, verified commercial and institutional provenance: The Artist: Born in 1957, Tony Yates is an elected full member of both the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA), celebrated for bringing a deeply expressive, visceral physicality to his canvas work and rare three-dimensional reliefs.
Authenticated Reverse: The reverse of the cast plaster features the clean, authentic incised signature of the artist ('Tony Yates').
Original Documentation: Accompanied by its completely intact, original June 2005 purchase gallery invoice from Buckenham Galleries, meticulously preserving the piece's exhibition pedigree and commercial trail from day one.
Condition Report
In excellent original gallery condition. The raw plaster work remains beautifully crisp, clean, and structurally flawless, displaying a refined, authentic matte patina developed over its 21-year history. The frame shows negligible wear, ready for immediate, high-end installation.
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The year is 1980, and East London is on the edge of a tectonic shift...
This imposing piece, Paul Fowler’s ‘Dry Grey: Linear Remains’, captures that exact flashpoint. Executed in December 1980 as the winter sleet washed over his studio at Metropolitan Wharf, it was destined for the legendary 1981 Tolly Cobbold Biennial Exhibition.