Titled Northern Expression, the event will take place in Scarborough on Saturday, featuring 100 specially chosen works from the home and studio of Kane Cunningham, forming the first auction for a living artist at David Duggleby Auctioneers.
Mr Cunningham’s work spans a diverse array of media, subjects, and series, reflecting his lifelong dedication to capturing the essence of the Northern landscape.
A former head of foundation art studies at the Westwood School of Art and Design in Scarborough, he said: “This is a unique sale of work created over a 35-year period which includes work painted en plein air at Castle Howard and other great Yorkshire country estates and large watercolours created in the Dales and in the Lake District.”
Mr Cunningham gained a national and international media profile in 2009 for his unconventional House Project art installation, an abandoned semi-detached house purchased by credit card on the edge of a cliff at Knipe Point, positioned precariously on the precipice of an eroding cliff.
He said: “This artwork went global via the internet and was featured in magazines and media outlets around the world.
“The sale will include Flash Bang, Wallop, which are lights from Blackpool Illuminations purchased from Drew Pritchard and featured on the television series Salvage Hunters.
“Many of the works to be auctioned have never been seen before.
“Several works were shown at Scarborough Art Gallery in a one-man show which includes a number of large watercolours.
“All of this will be captured on video for a film we are making about the whole process, the auction and story behind some of the artwork.”
Mr Cunningham is presently working on a series of new paintings inspired by climate change and the changing colours of the coast-to-coast landscape of Robin Hood’s Bay to St Bees and will publish a book of new work next year.
He is also embarking on a 10-year project called “13 Valleys of the Lakes”, exploring each of the 13 valleys within the National Park through their cultural heritage, poetic narratives, social and political history.
These will consist of large watercolours painted in response to the research and location, also forming part of an extended documentary recording the working process in photography and film.
Mr Cunningham’s work is featured in the collections of many of the large country houses and stately homes in North Yorkshire including Castle Howard, Hovingham Hall, Sledmere House and Scampston Hall.
The auction will be taking place at Duggleby Auctioneers and Valuers on Vine Street in Scarborough on Saturday, October 19 from 11am.
For more details about the auction visit davidduggleby.com.
