Robert Johnson Washington

Here are a few more "modern pieces" by Bob that I obtained from Su on a SOR basis a few years ago and sold.

the later work was less popular so I bought one of his earlier pots and the Pearl Diver ,which was a piece I have been after for quite some time

the widow could have sold it to me directly for more money but she rolled the dice in auction

https://www.sworder.co.uk/auction/search/?au=1010&sd=2

today I collected my Pearl Diver wall plaque
18 x24 inches

also picked up this imposing,20 inch tall, vase and stopped off at the Fitzwilliam Museum on the way home.
A good day for pottery and art 

Do you have any idea when he did the wall plaque?

hi Dantheman, I viewed your 'pearl diver' piece in Sworders and i think it was the best of the plaques, very Hockney like, Sworders give a date as mid 80's for this piece.

I'm sure he was influenced by the Hockney swimming pool, 
This video is a good guide to the timeline

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aMZqV6wMBcs

I have mixed feelings about the worthiness of the later potted Washington pieces in my collection , as Philpot rightly pointed out these pots are out of their time frame, i have two pieces very similar and while they are excellently potted and decorated they don't seem right for their date somehow, it's like having a pot with a crack ,no matter how much you try to hide it grates every time you look at it.

I think if it was displayed with Staite Murray + his pupils pieces then it would be fine but I know what you mean.

More for sale on Tuesday at Sworders

https://www.sworder.co.uk/auction/details/a1020-design---two-day-sale/?au=1053

Hi all,

The pot in question is definitely his style & that is his signature but I have never seen it before & I am pretty familiar with all his work, so it must be a very early one that was gifted or sold a long time ago.

In regards to the auction, one of the main reasons is because we do not have adequate storage to house all his pieces and some are deteriorating as they are not being kept in the right environment. They need to be in homes & we want to spread the Washington name. Due to the techniques & materials used in his later work, they are quite sensitive and we don't want it to be lost.

I am Olivia Washington, his youngest child & I can see some of you know mum. She hasn't been well recently and has been stuck in the USA for the last 3 years, this is another reason for the auction as she cannot manage it from afar.

It was my dad's 25th passing anniversary yesterday, so I am glad I stumbled across this thread. I do recommend watching Into The Tub & if you have any questions about the art (or the man), please let me know :)

Hi Olivia.Glad to see you found the forum.
We would love to hear more about the life and career of your Dad. He was an incredibly interesting man so we should tell his story and spread the joy.
I was so happy to buy the swimmer this year, after months of trying, it just popped up in auction! Without a doubt, it was my favorite buy of the 2020s (so far)

Lovely to hear from you, and many thanks for confirming the attribution

OliveW wrote:Hi all,

The pot in question is definitely his style & that is his signature but I have never seen it before & I am pretty familiar with all his work, so it must be a very early one that was gifted or sold a long time ago.

In regards to the auction, one of the main reasons is because we do not have adequate storage to house all his pieces and some are deteriorating as they are not being kept in the right environment. They need to be in homes & we want to spread the Washington name. Due to the techniques & materials used in his later work, they are quite sensitive and we don't want it to be lost.

I am Olivia Washington, his youngest child & I can see some of you know mum. She hasn't been well recently and has been stuck in the USA for the last 3 years, this is another reason for the auction as she cannot manage it from afar.

It was my dad's 25th passing anniversary yesterday, so I am glad I stumbled across this thread. I do recommend watching Into The Tub & if you have any questions about the art (or the man), please let me know :)

Hello Olivia,

I'm John Rastall, from the Harlequin Gallery and I wondered why the items were up for sale. Sorry to hear about your Mum and when next in touch send her my regards and tell her that I hope her health improves soon.