Graham Sutherland OM - Somerset Maugham

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by Graham Sutherland OM

Title

Graham Sutherland OM - Somerset Maugham

Artist

Graham Sutherland OM

Medium

Painting - Oil Paint On Canvas

Description

All purchases from Tate Art support Tate, a world leading art institution with four free to enter galleries in the United Kingdom: Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. Artwork © Tate. Photo © Tate, London

This was the first of many portraits by Sutherland, mostly of either friends or distinguished elderly people. He met Maugham, the famous novelist and dramatist, at St Jean Cap Ferrat, and was invited to paint his portrait. Maugham was then aged seventy-five. The bamboo stool and background colour, like that of the robes of Buddhist monks, were intended to refer to the setting of many of Maugham's novels and short stories in the Far East. The portrait was painted from drawings made by Sutherland during about ten one hour sittings with Maugham.

Uploaded

November 13th, 2020