Dog rescue charity to benefit from sale at Sworders of artworks including signed David Hockney poster
A dog rescue charity is to benefit from the sale of two works of art, including a signed David Hockney poster, when they go up for auction at Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers.
The pictures, with an estimated five-figure value, form part of the Stansted auction house's modern and contemporary sale on Tuesday (Oct 5).
They were recently donated to the Dogs Trust, the country's largest dog welfare charity, at a time when its resources are stretched following a surge in rescue admissions post lockdown.
When Covid-19 restrictions were in full force, more than three million households adopted new pets for company. But as lockdown rules have eased and people spend more time away from home, rescue shelters have been inundated with unwanted pets.
The signed Hockney poster, promoting an exhibition of drawings at Salts Mill in Shipley, West Yorkshire, in 1994, carries a guide of £400-£600.
Its subject is Hockney's dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie, who provided the inspiration for a series of more than 40 paintings in two years in the early 1990s. Some formed part of the exhibition at Salts Mill when this poster was made.
Also donated is an oil by Egyptian artist Ahmed Moustafa, best known for his work based on the geometry of Arabic calligraphy. However, he trained first as a figurative painter at Alexandria University.
"Still Life with Cherub" dates from 1974, depicting kitchen vessels with the carved figure of a cherub to the foreground. It is sold in the original artist's frame with certificate of authenticity dated May 3, 1980. The estimate is £15,000-£20,000.
Carole Carlton-Smith, head of retail operations at Dogs Trust, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have these items going to auction and cannot thank the two supporters enough for their generosity.
"The estimate for the oil painting is truly wonderful. Every year we raise £4m through our 31 charity shops and two depots. The possibility of raising up to £20,000 through the sale of one item is a very exciting prospect.
"Thank you to everyone at Sworders who have been so helpful and are selling the item at no cost to the Dogs Trust, which means every penny raised will go towards caring for the dogs in our rehoming kennels."
Dogs Trust charity normally cares for around 14,000 dogs across its network of 21 rehoming centres in the UK and one in Dublin. It has a non-destruction policy and will never put a healthy dog to sleep.
The charity also focuses its efforts on understanding dogs and sharing that knowledge with the wider public to prevent problem behaviours that can result in relinquishment or abandonment.
