Barrington Tabb Success

Last month, nearly two hundred guests joined us at All Saints Church, Clifton, for Barrington Tabb: Celebrating the Man Behind the Brush - a private exhibition and moving tribute to the life and legacy of one of Bristol’s most beloved painters.

 

 

With the dramatic John Piper windows as a backdrop and an inspiring talk by Reverend Charles Sutton, we experienced the church in its full sensory and spiritual depth. We were pleased to welcome many members of Barrington’s family, along with the newly appointed Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Henry Michallat, who shared his admiration for a painter who truly captured the soul of the city.

Marc Burridge, Managing Director of Clevedon Salerooms, said: It is an honour for Clevedon Salerooms to be asked to auction the studio of such a celebrated artist as Barrington Tabb. The remarkable turnout to the preview is a testament to his enduring popularity amongst the people of Bristol and beyond’

The celebration continued into the following week as Clevedon Salerooms held a landmark auction of twenty-five works from Tabb’s studio. With strong interest from private collectors and the wider public, the sale saw enthusiastic bidding throughout and raised a total just shy of £10,000.

Among the highlights:

  • The Decay of Old Bristol Industrial Museum, Bristol – £780
  • Park Street, Bristol – £720

These top lots reflect the continued appreciation for Tabb’s textured, expressive oil paintings of the city’s streets, docks, and daily life. Known for a unique style shaped in part by an eye condition that blurred his central vision, Tabb once said, “Sometimes it can improve my paintings very, very much, due to this distortion... I want to give vent to the distortion as well as the emotion.”

Senior Valuer and BBC Antiques Roadshow expert Chris Yeo reflected:
“The response to both the exhibition and auction has been deeply gratifying. Barrington’s work resonated with so many because it is, quite simply, Bristol in paint, its life, its soul, its history.”

The enthusiastic reception of both the exhibition and sale affirms what many have long believed,  Barrington Tabb's legacy is not just secure, it’s flourishing.

This is the first group of works from Barrington Tabb’s studio to be offered at Clevedon Salerooms. Further works will be sold in the forthcoming months with the next group of approximately twenty-five paintings featuring in the Autumn Fine Art sale on Thursday 11th September.