Seated Woman and Cat

1946
Colquhoun, Robert
Bought in 1946, Seated Woman and Cat was one of the Arts Council Collection’s earliest acquisitions. It was painted by the Scottish artist Robert Colquhoun during the height of his renown, when he was associated with other members of the School of London, such as Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon. Colquhoun trained at the Glasgow School of Art, where he met fellow painter Robert MacBryde. The pair, known within the London artistic scene as ‘the two Roberts’, formed a romantic and creative partnership that lasted until Colquhoun’s death. His style was highly influenced by Pablo Picasso, Jankel Adler and Wyndham Lewis and, like Freud and Bacon, his central theme was the isolated figure and the existential questions it raised; a theme evident in Seated Woman and Cat. He was also a prolific printmaker, an interest that he developed after he left London for Lewes in 1947. Despite early acclaim, he died in relative obscurity in 1962 after a long struggle with alcoholism; MacBryde just four years later in a traffic accident.
  • Artwork Details: 97 x 76cm
  • Edition:
  • Material description: oil on canvas
  • Credit line: © the artist's estate
  • Theme: Figurative
  • Medium: Painting
  • Accession number: AC 6

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.