Alfred Wallis is a British artist, born in 1855.
He began painting in 1925 at the age of 70, using household paint on scraps of cardboard, painting the experiences of sea voyages and the ships and fishing boats he had sailed upon in his youth, as a seaman and fisherman in Cornwall.
In this painting inscribed ‘French Fishing Boat’, Wallis recalls one of the French boats that would visit Cornwall in the summer months from Brittany. These boats became a feature of the summer scene in St Ives, Newquay and Newlyn, until the mid-1960’s.
French Fishin Boat [sic] oil on card 17.5 x 29.5cm approx.
Sold for £16,500, 18th Jan 2019 at Lawrences Auctioneers, Crewkerne
Through his paintings Wallis has told us of his life experience; of the ships he knew, the places he visited and the memories laid down during his seagoing days.
‘Fishing Boat off a Pier`, made with just two colours and painted on a piece of old card, shows how effectively Wallis has used the original colour of the board as part of the work and the shape of the board reminds us that the painting is not just a depiction but is, in itself, an object.
Fishing Boat off a Pier, signed, oil and pencil on card,13.5 x 22cm approx.
Sold for £13,000, 12th April 2019 at Lawrences Auctioneers, Crewkerne
In 1928 on a day visit to St Ives, he was discovered by artists Christopher Wood Christopher Wood and Ben Nicholson Ben Nicholson. Through them his work was introduced to other artists and collectors, including a junior curator at the Tate, J.S Ede. Wallis sent Ede bundles of paintings through the post. It is through his influence on this group of artists that Wallis's work has earned a place the history of British art.