Almost £6,000 raised for Leicestershire charity after 40 paintings were sold at a Harborough auction

Almost £6,000 has been made for a leading Leicestershire charity after 40 paintings were sold at a Market Harborough auction this month.

The works of art by Leicester artist Roy Bizley spanning four decades were sold for a total of £5,775 at an online 20th Century Art and Design auction.

The paintings were sold at Gildings Auctioneers in Market Harborough by the late artist’s family – and all the money will go to support the county’s LOROS hospice.

The charity will receive every penny after the usual seller’s fees were waived by Gildings.

Highlights of the sale included two untitled abstract paintings dating from the early 1980s from Bizley’s ‘Terrace’ series of paintings.

They dramatically depict the changing seasons in the artist’s garden at his Oadby home.

They went under the hammer for £420 and £400 - doubling the estimates of £150-£200.

Another standout lot was ‘Abstract Landscape’, which was painted in 1996 and sold against the same estimate for £360.

Equally striking abstract paintings of the glacial Icelandic landscapes that became Roy’s trademark following several trips there also performed well on the day.

“It was a pleasure to sell these paintings spanning works of art from the 1950s to the 1990s on behalf of the Bizley family,” said Gildings’ director and 20th century art specialist Will Gilding.

“As LOROS is a cause close to the hearts of so many people in our area, we were happy to waive our usual fees to help support the charity in their vital work.”

Born in Swindon in 1930, Roy studied painting and lithography at Slade School of Fine Art in London.

After graduating he joined his girlfriend Pat in Melbourne - where he taught and exhibited in the vibrant Australian art scene of the time.

They returned to the UK in 1960 and moved to Leicester four years later.

Roy was instrumental in setting up the printmaking department at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) and went on to teach until his retirement.

He lived locally until his death in 1999.

“As well as the consistently good prices achieved for the paintings, it was great to see them attracting interest from a wide variety of bidders,” added Will.

“So, in addition to benefiting an important local charity, these unique works of art will now enjoy a new lease of life with their appreciative new owners in homes and other settings around our region and beyond.”

LOROS support engagement coordinator Bruce Smith said: “A huge thank you goes to the Bizley family for donating the proceeds of the sale of these wonderful items in memory of Roy.

“And we would also like to thank the team at Gildings for facilitating the auction and generously waiving their fees to ensure 100 per cent of the money raised can directly benefit our patients and their families.

“Each year we have to raise more than £6 million to continue offering our high-quality, compassionate care services to over 2,500 patients and their families across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

“The new owners of these paintings can enjoy their work of art in the knowledge that they have helped us to do just that.”

The sale took place as an online auction.