Vibrant Market

As the Spring bank holiday season gets under way, what better time for Arthur Johnson & Sons to sell a celebrated depiction of a bank holiday of yesteryear.

Campbell Archibald Mellon's 1923 canvas August Bank Holiday, Gorleston-on-Sea shows the beach in the Norfolk resort teeming with sun-seekers.

Mellon, a Nottinghamshire travelling salesman, painted a series of oils depicting holiday scenes in his adopted home town.


The vibrant oil fetched a cool £18,000 in auction, with the winning bid coming from an art dealer who has a particular interest in Mellon's work.
Also exciting bidders at the same sale, was a portrait by the highly collectable Cornish artist Harold Harvey. His 1932 oil A Study In Greens shows a striking young woman in an interior setting. Works by the prolific Harvey always attract great interest and this lot fetched £10,500.
Philip Poyser of Arthur Johnson commented: "This shows that there is a very healthy market for quality 20th Century art."