Once again, found in the great warehouse of curiosities which is eBay. It’s a Fitton, not a poster this time but a painting.
And I’m pretty sure it’s the same Fitton too. Certainly the signature matches those on the paintings in the Dulwich Art Gallery catalogue.
But even were it not signed, that acid green is reminiscent of the luminosity of the colours in quite a few of his posters (although we almost certainly wouldn’t have found it on the great online jumble sale without a signature, I must admit).
We paid a very small amount for it, and frankly you can see why, as it is a sketch, and a sketchy one at that, rather than a painting. But having said that, I’m starting to become rather fond of the thing. It looks best from a distance, an experience I can recreate for you here by shrinking it to a thumbnail.
And so, propped up on the highest shelf of the Ladderax, it works rather well. The overall effect is one I rather like and generally tend to aim for, that of an impoverished 1950s architect trying to make the best of a slightly recalcitrant house. And this might be a painting by one of the architect’s friends. Well I can always pretend, can’t I?
Treat with considerable caution. I can’t recall Fitton ever signing anything except in lower case. If you like it, fine but I cannot believe this is by James Fitton.
It is definitely not by my father James Fitton. The art work is not his, neither is the signature.
It’s good to have a definite answer to that, thank you. And I think the lesson is, only buy what you really know about. We will be sticking with posters from now on.