Paintings by a leading Leicester artist will be sold in a live online auction in Harborough

Some 40 paintings spanning four decades of the work of leading Leicester artist Roy Bizley are to be sold in a live online auction in Market Harborough.

The special event is to go ahead on Tuesday October 5 – and it’s being held to boost a top local charity.

The collection is included in Market Harborough-based Gildings Auctioneers’ upcoming 20th Century Art and Design sale.

The paintings are being sold by the gifted late artist’s family.

And they are handing over all the money made to Leicestershire-based hospice LOROS.

The paintings range from a still life dedicated to Roy’s wife Pat dating from the 1950s to abstract works from the 1970s and 1980s.

The lot will also feature 10 paintings from Bizley’s highly-acclaimed Icelandic landscape series, which were mainly painted in the 1990s.

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

After graduating the talented painter joined his girlfriend Pat in the Australian city of Melbourne.

Roy taught there and regularly exhibited before returning with her to the UK in 1960 as their son was about to be born.

The family moved to Leicester four years later.

Roy helped to set up the print-making department at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) and went on to teach until his retirement.

He lived in Leicester until his death in 1999 aged 69.

“We are delighted to offer these paintings by this talented and prolific Leicester artist, particularly as the sale will benefit LOROS,” said Gildings’ Director and 20th Century Art Specialist Will Gilding.

“As these paintings represent the natural progression of style and influences over Roy Bizley’s long career, there is a great variety of his work on offer.

“It includes examples from his ‘Terrace’ series of paintings depicting the changing seasons in his Oadby garden with a dramatic use of colour - and the Icelandic landscapes he was arguably best known for.”

The paintings capture Iceland’s dramatic glacial tracts, geysers and flat-topped mountains.

“The sale of these paintings comes at a time when we are seeing high levels of interest in modern British art,” added Will. “As a result, we expect the paintings to make between £4,000 and £6,000 on the day.”

Cash raised will help LOROS provide free care and support to terminally ill adult patients and their families and carers in Leicestershire.

LOROS Support Engagement Coordinator Bruce Smith said: “We are incredibly grateful to Gildings for working with the Bizley family to auction these wonderful items in memory of Roy.

“Each year, we need to raise over £6 million to ensure our high-quality, compassionate care services can be offered to over 2,500 patients and their families across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

“The money raised will go a huge way to ensuring we can continue to do that.”

He added: “We hope the buyers of each lot can not only enjoy their item but do so in the knowledge that their bid has made a genuine difference to LOROS.”

Viewings are now available on a drop-in basis on Friday October 1 and Monday October 4 from 9am-4.30pm – there is no need to book an appointment.

You can also see the auction catalogue here - https://www.gildings.co.uk/auction/search/?au=151If you are interested in snapping up one of Roy Bizley’s fine works and supporting LOROS they should go under the hammer at about 4pm next Tuesday.