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Marine artist's collection to fetch £8k at auction

Jack Rigg An oil painting of a red ship rocking at sea, a short distance away from a brick pier with a Victorian lamppost perched on the edgeJack Rigg
Some of the collection found in the artist's home and studio had never been displayed publicly

More than 50 paintings and drawings by a Yorkshire artist, whose works are in Buckingham Palace and The White House, are expected to fetch up to £8,000 at auction.

The collection belonged to marine artist Jack Rigg, who died aged 96 last year.

Auctioneers said most of the works going under the hammer on Sunday had "never been seen in public before" and had been on the walls of his home and studio in Hull.

Fine art specialist Dominic Cox, from auctioneers David Duggleby, said the Leeds-born artist was "one of the most remarkable marine artists of the 20th Century".

The self-taught painter, whose career spanned 80 years, captured coastal landscapes using watercolour ink, oil paints and pen.

David Duggleby Three men: one wearing a blue suit, another with a red jumper and black-framed glasses and a younger man smiling and wearing a light-blue shirt, dark blue trousers and metal-framed circular glasses. They are standing among paintingsDavid Duggleby
The collection of work has been put up for sale by the artist's sons, Michael, left, and Ian, centre

"He was known to walk into the water of harbours to get the correct perspective, standing there in his wellington boots sketching. He would on occasion work on paintings for months,” said Mr Cox.

“The result was great success. Today his work is to be found in Buckingham Palace, the White House, public collections around the world and – a matter of particular pride - the homes of countless fishermen and seafarers who were great admirers of his work.”

Following his death in August, Rigg's family decided to "commemorate his life with a retrospective" in Scarborough, culminating with a sale of his collection at auction.

It is expected to fetch between £7,000 and £8,000, Mr Cox said.

Jack Rigg Oil painting of three tall ships next to each with Tower Bridge painted faintly in the far distanceJack Rigg
Jack Rigg painted shipping and harbour scenes across the UK including this one of the River Thames

Among the works being sold are those he painted and sketched of Robin Hood's Bay, Scarborough, Whitby and the Humber, as well as scenes of the Thames and Essex.

It also includes one of the last works he created, in 2019 - a painting titled Shipping off Whitby.

“He particularly loved the East Yorkshire coastline, a passion that was helped by an eventual move to Hull, where he was based for many years,” said Mr Cox.

Mr Cox said the auction house "played a notable part in exposing his work to the world".

Rigg left school at 14 with no formal art education and worked in the textile industry until he was 50, after which he became a full-time artist.

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