December 2, 2012

A copy of Lawrence Holofcener’s famous Bond Street sculpture doubles the estimate at auction. 
‘The Allies’ sculpture by Lawrence Holofcener. Photo: Bonhams
ART DAILY, 8 December 2012 — A copy of the well-loved bronze sculpture titled ‘The Allies’ of Sir Winston Churchill and Roosevelt on their bench sited between Old and New Bond Streets sold at Bonhams for £409,250, double its estimate, to an American buyer yesterday 14th November 2012. This makes the sculpture the top Modern British work of art to sell in London this week.

The Bonhams sale of 20th Century British and Irish Art featured 123 lots and achieved a total of £3.2m. Among other top lots was a Peter Doig painting Road House which sold for £265,250; a Walter Sickert, Woman in Profile with downcast eyes for £229,250; a Graham Sutherland, Head on a Balcony for £217,250; and Sir Alfred Munnings, The haymakers went for £109,250.

‘The Allies’ sculpture by Lawrence Holofcener (born 1926) was unveiled in 1995 by H.R.H. The Princess Margaret. Now a major London landmark, it was gifted to the City of Westminster by the Bond Street Association to commemorate fifty years of peace. It embodies the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the USA.

‘The Allies’ depicts Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt in relaxed conversation and is a fitting tribute to the celebrated politicians who together implemented the Atlantic Charter. The Charter was first issued in August 1941 and set goals for peace in the post-war world including freedom from fear and want and the abandonment of the use of force. Churchill and Roosevelt’s bond secured a strong transatlantic partnership that enhanced international security and helps to explain the ‘special relationship’ that is frequently discussed today. In keeping with their principles, The Allies is an approachable sculpture with the space in between the two leaders open for the viewer to occupy.

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Lawrence Holofcener was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and has exhibited across the U.S.A. as well as in the U.K. The artist’s sculpture frequently depicts famous individuals and in 1985 Laurence Olivier unveiled Holofcener’s portrait, Faces of Olivier, at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

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