Purchased by Mr & Mrs Peto from The Fine Art Society, 1948
by descent to J.B.M. Peto son of above to 2013
Daniel Katz Limited
Private Collection, New York, to 2026
by descent to J.B.M. Peto son of above to 2013
Daniel Katz Limited
Private Collection, New York, to 2026
A painter of urban scenes and landscapes, Algernon Newton was born in Hampstead, London. He studied at the LondonSchool of Art, Kensington and his first one-man show was held at the Leicester Galleries in 1931. In 1923, Newton beganto exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy summer shows and he continued to send paintings there for several decades. He always admired the slightly forlorn Regency and early Victorian terraces that faced the London canals in Notting Hill, Maida Vale and Deptford and gave them a curiously uninhabited look. Despite the grand buildings and great streets that were at his disposal, it was to the neglected waterways that he turned from the 1920s onwards. He once wrote: 'There is beauty to be found in everything, you only have to search for it; a gasometer can make as beautiful a picture as a palace on the Grand Canal, Venice. It simply depends on the artist's vision.'
The gritty, urban landscape seen through Newton’s eyes becomes picturesque, serene, and captivating. Often referred toas the ‘Canaletto of the canals’, Newton was celebrated for his ability to infuse urban scenes with a calm, contemplativeatmosphere - a skill honed through his training at the Slade School of Fine Art and the London School of Art in Kensington. Newton recorded and interpreted on canvas the industrial and technological changes of his era, capturing the transformation of the urban landscape. His connection to the Royal Academy began early, exhibiting for the first time in 1903 while still a student.
Over the years, his reputation grew, leading to his election as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1936 and as a full member in 1943. In 1980, the Royal Academy hosted a retrospective exhibition of his work. Reviewing his career,Newton once observed: ‘I felt I had to try to create something in every picture I painted, a mood, a mental atmosphere, a sentiment.’
The gritty, urban landscape seen through Newton’s eyes becomes picturesque, serene, and captivating. Often referred toas the ‘Canaletto of the canals’, Newton was celebrated for his ability to infuse urban scenes with a calm, contemplativeatmosphere - a skill honed through his training at the Slade School of Fine Art and the London School of Art in Kensington. Newton recorded and interpreted on canvas the industrial and technological changes of his era, capturing the transformation of the urban landscape. His connection to the Royal Academy began early, exhibiting for the first time in 1903 while still a student.
Over the years, his reputation grew, leading to his election as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1936 and as a full member in 1943. In 1980, the Royal Academy hosted a retrospective exhibition of his work. Reviewing his career,Newton once observed: ‘I felt I had to try to create something in every picture I painted, a mood, a mental atmosphere, a sentiment.’