AUSTIN/DESMOND FINE ART
Austin/Desmond Fine Art was founded in 1979 by William Hilary Desmond (1948-18 March 1991) and John Anthony Wilfred Austin (April 1946-6 February 2026), initially operating from stables near Ascot and in 1986 opening their first gallery at Sunninghill and in 1988 moving to 68-69 Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury. The gallery’s primary focus over the past thirty years has been in Modern British art, promoting and exhibiting aspects of a genre that had become unfashionable. Their exhibitions and catalogues have mirrored a gradual reassessment of this period, making it an attractive option for new and more experienced collectors alike. Austin/Desmond has specialised in work associated with the St Ives group of artists, including Ben Nicholson (10 April 1894-6 February 1982), Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903–20 May 1975), Roger Hilton (23 March 1911-23 February 1975), Paul Ludwig Horst Feiler (30 April 1918–8 July 2013), Margaret Mellis, Sir Terence Ernest Manitou Frost (13 October 1915–1 September 2003) and (George) Peter Lanyon (8 February 1918–31 August 1964). Selected artists who have been the subject of one-person shows are Prunella Clough and Francis Douglas Davison. Over the last years the gallery has participated in major European and American art fairs focusing on International Post-war art and the galley has formed an important collection of Concrete and Neo-Concrete art from Latin America. It was announced that their exhibition premises at Pied Bull Yard, Bloomsbury will close in July 2026. Other Suffolk painters who works were exhibited with Austin/Desmond Fine Art include David Carr; Michael Rees and Telfer Stokes.
Website: https://austindesmond.com