James Kerr-Lawson 1864-1939. Scottish-Canadian School. Study for the Portrait of Abdulla. Unsigned pencil on wove paper, 25 by 36 cms. Provenance: Arnold Fellows Collection.
The finished painting for which this is the preparatory study was sold at Christies 30 September 1999. (Please see second image).
When James Kerr-Lawson was three his family emigrated from Fife to Hamilton, Ontario. He returned to Europe as an adult, eventually settling in London, but he maintained links with the artistic community in Canada. Kerr-Lawson fought in the First World War and in 1917 he was commissioned by the Canadian Government to paint the ruined cities of Arras and Ypres. He is however, best known as a portrait painter and muralist.