Winsor Birch

Winsor Birch Winsor Birch represents extraordinarily talented and internationally acclaimed artists.
(1)

Our shows are carefully curated and set in locations which enhance collectors' and visitors' experience of the art and provide stimulating environments.

30/05/2026

John Brett, The Caskets Lighthouse (Casquettes), 1883

Painted in 1883 from sketches made during a voyage past the Casquets lighthouse off Alderney in 1874, this seascape exemplifies John Brett’s meticulous Pre-Raphaelite style.

Depicting a calm turquoise sea and the lighthouse on the distant horizon, the work showcases his remarkable attention to detail, light, and atmosphere. Completed in his London studio, it reflects Brett’s lifelong passion for sailing and marine painting. The subject also relates to Les Casquets, a poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne inspired by the lighthouse and its surrounding rocks.

———

Master Painters & Pioneers: 19th - 20th Century returns on the strength of an exhibition that, in 2025, drew hundreds of visitors and reminded us how much appetite there is for pictures of real ambition shown in the company of one another. Working closely with private collectors, we have the privilege of presenting exceptional artworks, many of which have not been seen in public for decades.

Exhibition runs from 9th - 20th June.
8 Duke Street St James’s, London SW1 6BN.

Find out more at winsorbirch.com.
Full list of works to be announced soon.

———

'Dunvegan Castle, Skye' reflects Sir David Young Cameron’s deep connection to the Scottish Highlands and his fascination...
17/05/2026

'Dunvegan Castle, Skye' reflects Sir David Young Cameron’s deep connection to the Scottish Highlands and his fascination with atmosphere, light and landscape.

Born in Glasgow in 1865, Cameron trained at the Glasgow School of Art from 1881. Although he first gained recognition for his etchings in the early 1890s, he also worked extensively in oil and watercolour. Living in the Highlands with his wife, Jeanie Ure Maclaurin, he drew continual inspiration from the surrounding landscape.

Unlike the Glasgow Boys, Cameron was less interested in decorative painting, instead prioritising colour, tone and the changing effects of light. His atmospheric approach often set his work apart from the mainstream of the Glasgow School.

A prolific and highly respected artist, Cameron was elected both a Royal Scottish Academician and a Royal Academician, and was knighted in 1922.

---

DAVID YOUNG CAMERON, R.A., R.S.A.

DUNVEGAN CASTLE, SKYE
Oil on canvas
Unframed: 81 x 105 cm.; 32 x 41 in.
Framed: 103 x 129 cm.; 40½ x 51 in.
Signed 'DY Cameron' (lower right)

Recently exhibited at Petworth Park Antiques Fair.

View the exhibited works online herehttps://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/54-the-petworth-park-antiques-fine-art-fair-west-sussex/

The present work belongs to a series of swift en plein air sketches George Leslie Hunter made in Étaples, Normandy, arou...
16/05/2026

The present work belongs to a series of swift en plein air sketches George Leslie Hunter made in Étaples, Normandy, around 1913–14, depicting figures at leisure. At the outbreak of World War I, Hunter was mistaken for a German spy while sketching on the northern French coast and fled back to Scotland, likely bringing this painting with him.

Born on the Isle of Bute in 1877, Hunter was largely self-taught. After spending fourteen years in California as an illustrator, he returned to Scotland in 1906 and later travelled to Paris, where exposure to the work of Cézanne and Matisse shaped his artistic direction. In Étaples, he embraced a freer, more modern style, abandoning academic chiaroscuro for bold brushwork and vivid colour.

The present oil reflects this shift: forms are simplified into expressive strokes and areas of bright local colour set against exposed ground. These works marked a turning point in Hunter’s career and helped establish him as one of the celebrated Scottish Colourists.

---

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER

FIGURES IN CONVERSATION, ÉTAPLES, C. 1914
Oil on board
Unframed: 24 x 32 cm.; 9½ x 12½ in.
Framed: 39 x 47 cm.; 15¼ x 18½ in.
Signed 'Hunter' (lower right)

Recently exhibited at Petworth Park Antiques Fair and in our '20th Century Paintngs, Scupture & Ceramics' show at The Little Gallery.

View the exhibition online here
https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceramics-marlborough/

In the late 1940s and 1950s, British artists embraced abstraction, influenced by European Tachisme and American Abstract...
02/05/2026

In the late 1940s and 1950s, British artists embraced abstraction, influenced by European Tachisme and American Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Po***ck and Mark Rothko. Key British figures included Victor Pasmore, Patrick Heron, and pioneers Gillian Ayres and Sandra Blow.

Born in 1925, Sandra Blow studied in London and Italy, where she connected with Nicolas Carone and Alberto Burri, gaining early exposure to Abstract Expressionism.

Returning to London, she became a leading figure in British abstraction, exhibiting with Gimpel Fils and participating in major shows like the 1956 Modern Art in the United States exhibition.

Her early work used heavy materials, later evolving into bold, gestural compositions influenced by American painters. In the 1960s, her style became brighter and more expansive, reflecting a more optimistic era. She also taught at the Royal College of Art, influencing artists such as David Hockney.

Blow’s work is held in major collections including the Tate, and she has been celebrated in major exhibitions, including a Royal Academy retrospective and a 2023 show at the Whitechapel Gallery highlighting women in abstraction.

View works by Sandra Blow, Patrick Heron, David Hockney and more recently exhibited at The Little Gallery online.

View here
https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceramics-marlborough/

Patrick Heron was one of the leading artists of his generation, both as an abstract painter and writer, through which he...
30/04/2026

Patrick Heron was one of the leading artists of his generation, both as an abstract painter and writer, through which he promoted modernist ideas from the European masters (Cezanne, Matisse, Bonnard and Braque) which is reflected in his early work, to the American Abstract Expressionists (Po***ck, de Kooning, Rothko and Newman) that revolutionised post-War painting and shaped his output from the late 50s onwards.

In 1956, Heron established himself in St Ives, and became a critical figure within that particularly fertile period of British art in Cornwall, including the likes of Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Peter Lanyon, Roger Hilton, William Scott and Terry Frost.

Heron, above all, was committed to the expressive power of colour, with compositions featuring bold, interlocking shapes and luminous colour fields. The interaction of colour and form was central to his approach to abstraction, devoid of representational allusion, which he developed from the 1960s onwards.

Gouaches were central to Heron's output, conceived not as studies but works in their own right. In the 1980s the gouaches become looser and increasingly rhythmical, Heron allowing the fluidity of the medium to determine the compositions; they have a playful, luminous quality that remain as fresh and vibrant today.

Available to purchase online
https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceramics-marlborough/

How gorgeous is this Michael Cardew teapot?!Michael Cardew (1901–1983) was a pioneering British studio potter and the fi...
28/04/2026

How gorgeous is this Michael Cardew teapot?!

Michael Cardew (1901–1983) was a pioneering British studio potter and the first pupil of Bernard Leach, a key figure in 20th-century ceramics. He began his pottery career in St Ives, Cornwall, before taking over a disused pottery at Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, in 1926. There, with craftsmen like Elijah Comfort and Ray Finch, he revitalised traditional English slipware pottery. In 1939, Cardew moved to Wenford Bridge Pottery in Cornwall, entrusting Winchcombe to Finch.

World War II took Cardew to Ghana, marking the start of a lifelong connection to Africa. In 1950, he established the Abuja Pottery Training Centre in Nigeria, promoting local pottery traditions and training native artisans. He divided his time between Nigeria and Cornwall, and his work reflected a blend of British and African influences. Cardew’s cross-cultural approach broadened his stylistic range and inspired a new generation, including his son Seth and grandson Ara.

Known for his powerful, straightforward style, Cardew valued simplicity, unrefined materials, and functional beauty. His book Pioneer Pottery remains a foundational guide on pottery techniques and materials. Cardew’s stoneware and slip-decorated earthenware were widely exhibited, and he received many honours for his contributions to ceramics before his death in 1983.

Recently on show for our '20th Century Paintings, Sculpture & Ceramics' exhibition The Little Gallery - Marlborough

https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceramics-marlborough/

Jean Gibson's ciment fondu 'Small Horse' and ink watercolour 'Horse V' are still available to purchase online.Throughout...
25/04/2026

Jean Gibson's ciment fondu 'Small Horse' and ink watercolour 'Horse V' are still available to purchase online.

Throughout her career, Jean Gibson exhibited regularly from the 1960s until her death in 1991, including participation in exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1987, she was elected a member of The London Group.

Gibson’s artistic journey evolved from figurative sculpture in traditional materials such as marble and Portland stone to abstract forms in synthetic media during the late 1960s. Her innovative use of Perspex created the illusion of floating forms, evoking the spirit of the 20th-century space age. However, following an illness linked to prolonged exposure to synthetic materials, she was compelled to radically reconsider her practice.

In response, Gibson shifted toward flat panel reliefs, working with canvas, wood, and metal. These later works allowed her to explore mood, emotion, and the elemental forces of nature with varying intensity, often reflecting her own physical and psychological state.

Gibson was married to painter Anthony Whishaw, and their shared studio in Kensington became a supportive environment for emerging artists. Among those she taught was Nicole Farhi, who credited Gibson with significant personal and artistic influence.

View our full exhibition of works here...

https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceramics-marlborough/

Our works can continue to be viewed online.https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceram...
20/04/2026

Our works can continue to be viewed online.
https://winsorbirch.com/exhibitions/53-20th-century-paintings-sculpture-ceramics-marlborough/

Here we are spotlighting... Martin Bradley's 'Compostition' 1961.

Born in London in 1931, Bradley wanted to be an artist from childhood. At fourteen, he ran away to sea and began painting portraits while working abroad. Returning to London, he studied Asian art and developed a strong interest in calligraphy.

He became part of the ‘Angry Young Men’ scene, gaining recognition in London and Paris. His work—mainly abstract and calligraphic—was widely exhibited and collected.

After years of travel, including time in Asia, he learned many languages and converted to Nichiren Shōshū Buddhism. Since 1954, he has had over 130 solo exhibitions and continues to paint and translate Buddhist texts while living in Belgium with his wife.

Address

1/2 The Parade
Marlborough
SN81NE

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Winsor Birch posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category