Tony Underhill (1923-77) was as Australian artist who came to London after the Second World War. A political radical sacked as a lecturer for supporting student protests, he achieved considerable success exhibiting in major galleries in the West End and his work is in the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Victoria.
However, when he died suddenly 40 years ago, his second wife closed his studio leaving finished and unfinished works and artistic equipment exactly in situ. It has only recently been reopened to reveal an untouched time capsule. A limited selection of his works will appear in our Modern British and 20th Century Art auction in November.
ROCK FIGURE
Est. £400-600
Tony Underhill (1923-1977)
STANDING FIGURES
Est. £600-800
Tony Underhill (1923-1977)
MATRIARCH
Est. £500-700
Tony Underhill (1923-1977)
Amy Scanlon
Paintings
Amy joined Sworders in 2009 as a junior valuer, after spending three years working in a leading London gallery. She has risen through the ranks to work in our Paintings department, where she works with specialist Andrew Bowyer. Amy also holds a BA (Hons) degree in History of Art from University College London.
T: 01279 817778
E: amyscanlon@sworder.co.uk
Sworders are delighted to be presenting contents from the personal collection of the celebrated art collector Doris Lockhart Saatchi in our autumn auctions.
24 September 2026
Here, close friend, art historian and former Senior Curator of Modern British Art at Tate, Andrew Wilson, offers an insight into James Birch’s remarkable collection and the extraordinary life behind it. Having known James since the late 1980s, Andrew has witnessed first-hand his restless curiosity, his friendships with artists and his instinct for the unusual.
15 September 2026
Art dealer, curator, gallerist and author James Birch has spent more than four decades championing artists and staging groundbreaking exhibitions. This October, approximately 300 works from his private collection come to auction at Sworders, tracing a remarkable career from the King’s Road to Moscow and beyond.
