Women at the Easel: Celebrating Female Artists in Our Winter Art Sale


November 2025

As we prepare for our Winter Art Sale on Friday 28th November, a clear and compelling theme has emerged: an exceptional group of works by women artists whose contributions to 20th-century art are increasingly recognised and valued.

From a newly authenticated watercolour by Frances Hodgkins to strong examples by Dame Ethel Walker, Anna Kogan, and Florence Hess, the sale reflects both academic interest and market momentum surrounding female painters. These are artists whose achievements were often overlooked in their own time but whose significance is now firmly established.

This year’s sale not only offers collectors a range of high-quality works, but also the opportunity to engage with the stories of women who shaped modern art in meaningful and lasting ways.


A Significant Rediscovery: Frances Hodgkins

One of the standout works in this year’s sale is Frances Hodgkins’ Woman and Child Sewing, a recently authenticated watercolour dating from c.1908, during the artist’s second visit to Holland. Originally acquired under an attribution to a lesser-known artist, the painting attracted the attention of its vendor, who recognised qualities characteristic of Hodgkins’ early work. Their instinct proved correct: after consultation with leading Hodgkins scholar Mary Kisler, the painting was confirmed and officially included in the Complete Frances Hodgkins Collection.

Dated circa 1907-1908, the watercolour sits at an important moment in Hodgkins’ development, when she was beginning to establish herself in the European art world. Hodgkins frequently painted women engaged in domestic or outdoor tasks – scenes that were easier to observe than interior settings and which offered rich opportunities to capture gesture, light, and texture. This work belongs to a group of watercolours exploring similar themes but stands out for the individuality and sensitivity of the faces, hallmarks of her maturing style in the years immediately before her move into modernism. 

Hodgkins, now increasingly regarded as a key figure in British Modernism as well as one of New Zealand’s most influential artists, has seen renewed public interest in recent years. The appearance of a newly confirmed work of this calibre is both rare and significant, and it represents an outstanding opportunity for collectors of early 20th-century British and New Zealand art.


Anna Aleksandrovna Kogan: A Rare Voice of the Russian Avant-Garde

A striking contrast to Hodgkins’ naturalism is Anna Aleksandrovna Kogan’s Suprematist Composition, a bold and sophisticated example of Russian avant-garde art.

Kogan studied under Kazimir Malevich and was associated with the influential UNOVIS group, placing her within one of the most important movements of early modernism. Works by female artists connected to Suprematism are extremely scarce, and this 1926 composition – executed in oil and collage – showcases Kogan’s command of geometric abstraction and her engagement with the radical visual language of the period.

With its Moscow Committee stamp and signature in Cyrillic, the work offers not only visual impact but also historical depth – an excellent acquisition for collectors seeking rare examples of women artists within the Russian avant-garde.


Florence Adelina Hess: One of the Staithes Group’s Few Women

Representing the tradition of northern British painting is Florence Adelina Hess, one of only four women associated with the Staithes Group, the well-known colony of Yorkshire artists active at the turn of the 20th century.

Hess trained at the Leeds School of Art and produced a body of landscapes centred on Yorkshire and Norfolk. Her work is admired for its atmospheric handling and its sensitive depiction of coastal life – qualities that align closely with the wider Staithes tradition, while also offering the distinct perspective of a woman working within that community. Her Figures at the Mouth of Cromer Pier is a charming and atmospheric coastal scene, painted in 1957 with a confident sense of composition and light. 

While Hess remains less widely known than some of her male contemporaries, her work has gained new appreciation in recent years for its regional character and the rarity of female representation within the group. For collectors of Staithes or coastal British art, Hess stands out as a meaningful and historically significant addition.


Emily Beatrice Bland: A Floral Still Life with Provenance

Although Emily Beatrice Bland is a lesser-known British artist, her work reflects the high calibre of training and professionalism found among women painters active in the early 20th century. Bland exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists, and her work reveals an artist deeply engaged with traditional subjects yet capable of bringing a fresh sensitivity to them.

Flowers in a Jug, dated 1919 and carrying its original Walker’s Galleries label, is a particularly charming example of her still-life practice. The careful arrangement, measured palette, and quiet luminosity typify the qualities that made her work appealing to galleries and collectors in her own time. Though unsigned, the piece bears the hallmarks of the artist’s balanced compositions and confident handling.

For today’s collectors, Bland represents an interesting opportunity: a historically exhibited artist whose work remains attractively affordable, making her an appealing addition for those seeking quality British still life at a modest price point – and particularly for those interested in rediscovering women artists of her generation.


Catherine Tyler: Contemporary Still Life

Catherine Tyler is a lesser-known contemporary British painter, yet her work demonstrates a strong command of colour, scale and botanical composition. Her practice sits within a long tradition of British still-life painting while simultaneously embracing the boldness and confidence of late 20th-century technique.

This 1994 work, complete with its Chelsea Art Society exhibition label, shows a painter working with assurance and sensitivity. The generous scale and saturated palette give the work an immediate visual impact, while the careful modelling of foliage and petals speaks to Tyler’s trained observational eye.

For collectors, Tyler offers an opportunity to acquire a sizeable and beautifully executed still life by a contemporary female artist whose market remains accessible. As interest in under-recognised women artists continues to grow, works such as 'Hollyhocks' are increasingly valued for both their quality and their potential future significance.


An Important Moment for Female Artists


Together, these five works illustrate the breadth and depth of women’s contributions to art across a century of extraordinary change. They highlight not just artistic talent, but resilience, experimentation, and an expanding narrative within the art market that values female perspectives more than ever before.

The Winter Art Sale on Friday 28th November provides a rare opportunity to acquire works by both established and rediscovered women artists, each with strong provenance, clear artistic merit, and growing relevance in today’s collecting landscape.
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