Patrick Procktor, R.A. 1936-2003
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“Procktor’s most enviable gift is, perhaps, the ability to tell the truth about small things - the fall of light, the angle of a head or hand. They give the best pictures the immediate quality of diary entries.’’ - Critic Peter Campbell, Patrick Procktor, The Listener, 18 May 1972
Patrick Procktor RA graduated from the Slade School of Art in London in 1962. Alongside his friend and contemporary, David Hockney, he was an integral part of the artists, designers and musicians who defined London’s cultural scene in the 1960s and 70s. In 1964, he was included in Bryan Robertson's groundbreaking Whitechapel gallery exhibition, The New Generation, which featured the work of twelve groundbreaking artists including Hockney, Patrick Caulfield, John Hoyland and Bridget Riley.
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Works
Patrick Procktor, R.A. 1936-2003
Lobster On A Table - Odin's, 1968WatercolourUnframed: 30.5 x 44 cm.; 12 x 17 ¼ in.
Framed: 50 x 63 cm.; 19¾ x 24¾ in.Dedicated, signed and dated lower right "for Peter Kirsten and Odin's Patrick Procktor 68"WB1928Copyright The ArtistSince his death in 2003, there has been a resurgence in interest in the work of Patrick Procktor (1936-2003). In the 1960s, Procktor was heralded as part of an upcoming...Since his death in 2003, there has been a resurgence in interest in the work of Patrick Procktor (1936-2003). In the 1960s, Procktor was heralded as part of an upcoming group of artists. In 1964, Whitechapel Gallery included his work in an exhibition of work by twelve young artists including David Hockney, Patrick Caulfield, John Hoyand and Bridget Riley entitled The New Generation.The present work is inscribed to 'Peter and Kirsten, Odin’s' - referencing Peter Langan and Kirsten Benson. James and Kirsten set up Odin's in Marylebone in the 1960s. When James was killed in 1966 in a car accident, Kirsten was left with her two young children and running the restaurant. Peter Langan who lived nearby and has been a frequent visitor. Upon discovering its predicament, Peter offered to become a partner in the business with Kirsten. He subsequently bought out her share in 1968 and opened a larger premise in 1973. The restaurant became renowned for its good and decor, frequented by the likes of Patrick Procktor and David Hockney, and setting the scene for the famous Langan's Brasserie which Peter established in the late 1970s. Hockney depicted a similarly themed work, Still life with flowers and Lobster at Odin’s restaurant (circa 1980, sold at Christie’s in 2021).
Susan Langan, Peter's wife, recalled how Procktor and Hockney: 'gave it [Odin's] a tremendous cachet of an extraordinarily valuable sort, which gave the whole business a particular edge compared to the other businesses around.'
Literature
Possibly Patrick Procktor, Self-Portrait, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1991, p.113
