Derrick Greaves (1927-2022) initially gained acclaim in the 1950s when he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale along with the other ‘Kitchen-Sink’ painters with whom he was associated. Born in Sheffield in 1927, Greaves apprenticed for five years as a sign-writer, before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Art where he studied from 1948-52. During the ’60s his work moved away from the social realism of his previous pieces, taking on instead a more stylised approach. His work is prominently displayed in the world’s most prestigious public galleries, including the Tate Gallery, the Contemporary Arts Society, the Arts Council of Great Britain and the New York Public Library. He died in 2022.
Signed watercolour, measuring 30cm x 39cm. Hands were a frequent compositional motif used in Greave’s screen prints, eg. ‘Vase and Flower’ (1968) and ‘Hand’ (1975).