1st May, 2024 10:00
East Anglian, Fine Art & Antiques
1118
Richard Drew, known as Zacron (British, 1943-2012) acrylic and bas-relief on gessoed paper - Continum, 43.5 x 43.5cm, glazed frame
Richard Drew, known as Zacron (British, 1943-2012) acrylic and bas-relief on gessoed paper - Continum, 43.5 x 43.5cm, glazed frame
The Zacron (1943-2012) Estate Sale
Led Zeppelin’s enigmatic cover art designer’s studio comes to sale in our spring Fine Art auction.
The artist known as Zacron, was born Richard Drew in Sutton in 1943. Zacron’s artistic career was intrinsically connected to music and during his artistic training he met first Eric Clapton and then Jimmy Page whilst at Kingston College of Art, Zacron recalled how they became fast friends: “Jimmy visited my studio, and in his home, we discussed art and music. We decorated our guitars with experimental materials and designs, I made liquid projections using hot oils and strobes linked to the music of Jimi Hendrix.”
Zacron embraced the zeitgeist of swinging 1960s London and his art was conceptual as well as visual, with spontaneous happenings, bold costume and psychedelia to the fore, his superb command across a range of visual media extended to performance art and of course music. Much of the work in this studio collection is highly evocative of that period.
Soon after completing his artistic studies at the Royal Academy. Zacron briefly became a lecturer at Leeds Polytechnic, before resigning the post to found ‘Zacron Studios’, it was after a gig at Leeds University in 1970 that the members of Led Zeppelin met with Zacron to discussing the commission of an album cover for the their Led Zeppelin III album, with Jimmy Page championing Zacron’s work. Zacron’s response was highly original and innovative, derived from kinetic art which he had explored during his Royal Academy studies. With pierced outer cover and inner volvelle - a rotating inner wheel which produced an ever changing kaleidoscope effect, literally a revolutionary design. The unconventional approach was also highly complex for production and disruptive, setting back the album release date by two months. It nevertheless coincided with Led Zeppelin’s zenith of fame, they were at this time considered to be the biggest band in the world, and the delay only served to fuel anticipation. Ultimately, sales in the United States alone totalled 25 million copies, making it one of the most iconic covers in rock history.
Zacron’s long artistic career often returned to muscial associations, other music projects included the highly effective pop art collage 1975 album cover for pop group Fancy. He was also in demand as a graphic artist, producing advertising designs for Daler Rowney, Whatney paper and others. During a career which spanned five decades he made an analytical spiritual exploration of the visual arts, tackling a broad range of media and themes. His work has featured in exhibitions around the world, his art has been collected by legends of the music world and is included in many significant collections. In the latter part of his life he lived at Hethersett in Norfolk.
The present collection is directly from the artist’s studio. A larger single owner sale of works from the studio will be presented later in the year.
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Telephone bids must be booked by 4pm the day before the sale but can be arranged earlier, we have limited lines and certain lots can be over-subscribed for phone bidding, in such instances we conduct a first come, first served basis and we encourage clients to book well in advance or risk being disappointed.
Auction: East Anglian, Fine Art & Antiques, 1st May, 2024
We are delighted to present the illustrated catalogue for Reeman Dansie’s East Anglian, Fine Art & Antiques auction. The sale will be held over three days and will include over 1500 lots, beginning with a single-owner collection of ceramics, which includes a range of rare 18th century English and continental porcelain figures. The rest of day one will see silver, jewellery, clocks, and watches go under the hammer: highlights include a 1950s Blancpain Fifty Fathoms diver's wristwatch, complete with excellent provenance (lot 625, £20,000-£30,000).
The second day of the sale will include works of art and East Anglian pictures. There are several choice single-owner collections to be offered on the day, ranging from Japanese lacquerware, to antique maps, and Chinese snuff bottles, as well as a superb collection of fossils amassed by the late David Thomas Turner (lots 901-942). The East Anglian section of the sale includes many well-loved local names spanning the centuries, from John Moore of Ipswich to Lucy Harwood. Highlights include a wonderful range of pictures by Thomas & Edward Smythe, and a collection of mostly 20th century works from the collection of Lord Phillips of Sudbury (lots 1025-1090).
Furniture and rugs will be sold on day three, where notable lots include a Regency breakfront bookcase (lot 1481, £2000-£3000) and an 18th century north Italian kingwood and marquetry inlaid commode (lot 1358, £2000-3000).
We look forward to welcoming you to the sale, whether you’ll be bidding online or in the room.
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