A collection of 40 pictures owned by the well-known Yorkshire-based businessman and anthropologist C. Roger Moss OBE, were sold at the Cheffins Art & Design sale on 17th September. Featuring works by the likes of David Bomberg, Sir Stanley Spencer, John Piper, George Chapman and Sheila Fell, the comprehensive collection made a total of £34,000.
The late Roger Moss, grew up in Yorkshire and was a life-long collector of art. From an early age he was exposed to the work of post-war British artists such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Mr Moss studied Social Anthropology at Cambridge University before following an international career in global finance. During the launch of the Concorde, he was Finance Director of British Airways before, went onto become the highly regarded Finance Director of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation in Hong Kong from 1984 and was then a senior advisor to Goldman Sachs. Returning to the UK in 2003, Roger bought an historic farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales where he brought his collections of art and sculpture and his extensive art library. It was from here that he entertained many of his artist friends including Peter Shaw, Dennis Creffield and Norman Adams, who all shared his love of the Yorkshire Dales.
What is believed to be an auction record was made for a painting by George Chapman which was sold for £6,000. The work, titled Signals, had an estimate of £2,000 - £3,000 and was sold to a private collector. Another highlight of the collection was a picture by British David Bomberg (1890 – 1957) who is widely cited as one of the most successful artists who studied at the Slade School of Art under Henry Tonks. Featuring a scene of clown and dancers from Bomberg’s famed Ghetto Theatre Series, it sold for £4,800 to a London-based collector.
Other highlights include a pencil study by Sir Stanley Spencer which sold for £1,200, and a Grecian landscape by Sheila Fell which sold for £1,100.
Brett Tryner, Director, Cheffins said: “The Roger Moss collection was one of the most comprehensive compilations of some of the biggest names in modern British art. The pictures on offer were demonstrative of Roger Moss’s discerning eye for art and his academic and aesthetic approach which he took to creating the collection. As one of the most significant art collectors from the Yorkshire region, we were delighted to be able to offer these works at auction here in Cambridge.”
Auction: The Art & Design Sale – 17th September 2020
Location: Cheffins, Clifton House, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 7EA
For further information contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343, fine.art@cheffins.co.uk
Ends