Rock Figure by David Holt (2001)
An original painting in bespoke frame depicting a form seen in rock
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Painted in 1997, this is an oil on canvas in a bespoke wooden frame (it is not glazed). The frame has been washed with a subtle a red colour to the fore-edge, and a washed-out blue / purple to the inner frame. The frame measures 45.5 × 36cm, with the painting measuring 34.5 × 25cm.
Signed, titled and dated by David Holt to the reverse. (A different title has been crossed out so this may be one of David's overpaintings).
The composition centres on a figure / form that bridges the line between an ancient rock formation and a shadowy, hunched figure.The painting's deep tones dominate the upper and background areas, creating a moody, nocturnal atmosphere. Brighter streaks of colour break through the right side of the main form, giving it visual mass and a tactile, weathered surface.
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. The frame has a few small knocks to the outer edge but remains in good order. There are some areas of white marking to the frame, this may be where salt has migrated to the surface.
As of July 2026, books remain duty-free. The price of the book incurs no extra US import fees.
Price
£70.00
