The Dance of the Sugar-plum Fairy, oil on canvas by Glyn Philpot ca.1908-1909. Dancer in pink dress

A dancer in a pink dress in foreground right. On the reverse, a sketch of a figure in thin brown paint.

Given by Daniel Katz

Glyn Warren Philpot (1884-1937) was a noted British portrait and figure painter. The success of his painting 'Manuelito' in 1909 established him as a sought-after portrait painter, although he craved acceptance for his more imaginative paintings. This set the pattern for his life: a successful painting would lead to a string of portrait commissions, and his ensuing dissatisfaction with his work. In 1931, he abandoned painting for sculpture in a desire to develop something more significant, but he later returned to painting, working towards a simplification of form and line to express his vision. The result was that commissions virtually ceased, although the reception of his 1937 exhibition at the Redfern Gallery, just before his death, encouraged him to feel that he had found a successful and communicable means of expression.

This painting is an examples of Philpot's natural inclination towards imaginative and fantastic decorative art. The assigned title is curious, as there is little evidence for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy having been seen in Europe in 1909 (the first time it was danced in London would seem to be 1910 when Preobrajenska and Karsavina performed it in their appearances at the Hippodrome and Coliseum). It may be an evocation of the music translated into a pseudo-Degas style. However, the very theatricality of the presentation and subject makes it a significant example of a particular style of theatrical painting.

S.51-2003