Idea for a Painting by David Holt (1999)
Original abstract oil painting in bespoke frame
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Painted in 1999, this is an oil on canvas in bespoke wooden frame (it is not glazed). The frame has been very lightly dyed to complement the painting. The frame measures 59 × 49cm and the painting is 50 × 40cm.
A captivating work of abstract expressionism, Idea for a Painting offers a rare glimpse into the 'whirligig' of the artist’s inner world. The composition revolves around a masked, anonymous figure—a ghostly presence that raises a profound question: is this a self-portrait of the artist, or a personification of the creative spark itself? Set against a backdrop of swirling, kinetic forms and psychological depth, this 1999 work is a masterful exploration of identity, thought, and the beautiful chaos of the human mind.
Signed and dated by David Holt to the reverse.
Provenance: This painting comes directly from the artist's estate, and the work is offered with full provenance.
David Holt (1928–2014). Born in Hythe, Kent. Painter and Lecturer in Art. After National Service, he trained at the Canterbury School of Art, the Hammersmith School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools where he was awarded a medal for drawing and the Knapping Prize. He joined a studio-workshop with Gerald Holtom (designer of the CND symbol) in 1958 where he designed and produced proscenium curtains for schools. In 1958 he was awarded a Harkness Fellowship and travelled across America, producing many drawings and prints of the Pueblo Indians and their life-dance in Santa Fe in New Mexico, where he also worked with artist Agnes Sims. He returned to England in 1960 and continued to paint and work on large textile appliques for schools, churches, and private houses including Spade House in Kent, the former home of H G Wells.
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1962, and in 1964 was commissioned to design and make a large textile applique 'Christ in Majesty' which still hangs in the chapel of Christ Church College in Canterbury.
He was Head of Art at Canterbury Christ Church University until his retirement in 1995. He exhibited widely in the UK and the States and worked with many art societies and summer schools across East Kent.
His work can be found in both private and public collections throughout the UK and America, including the Yale Centre for British Art. His painting "Coastal Watcher" was recently used for the dustwrapper on Modernism and Memory: Rhoda Pritzker and the Art of Collecting (Yale University Press, 2016).
Condition
The painting is in very good condition, there is some dusting and marking to the frame but the overall impression remains very striking.
Books are currently zero-rated for duty (as of January 2026), so the price shown is the price you pay.
Price
£150.00
