Forum Auctions is to offer an original watercolour by British artist Gerald Scarfe (b. 1936), the artist commissioned to create the artwork for the legendary rock band Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Wall, which included the legendary song “We Don’t Need No Education”. The album would become one of the band’s most successful albums when it was released in November 1979.

Devised by the band’s bassist Roger Waters (b. 1943), the album was a rock opera centred around the character of Pink, a disillusioned rock star who builds a psychological ‘wall’ of social isolation to protect himself. Waters based the character of Pink on himself and former Pink Floyd member, guitarist and song-writer Syd Barrett (1946-2006). The album was a huge commercial success, topping the US charts for 15 weeks and reaching number three in the UK. It would later be dubbed one of the greatest albums of all time.

The artist Gerald Scarfe worked closely with the band on the album designs for the album cover and was called on again to create artworks for the subsequent 1982 animated film based on the historic album. As one of the world’s best-known political cartoonists, having illustrated for The Sunday Times for 50 years and The New Yorker magazine for 15 years, Scarfe was the perfect choice to take on the task of creating visual representations of the album’s characters created by Waters of Pink’s mother, girlfriend and teacher in the lyrics.

The painting offered here, in watercolour and pen and ink served as a preparatory work for the animation and is estimated to fetch £6,000-£8,000. It is one of four works being offered in an auction titled Spring Selection: Modern and Contemporary Art and Editions at Forum Auctions on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, to raise funds for bursaries for The Margate School in Kent, a not-for-profit postgraduate arts school, whose aim is to make arts education possible for all.

Eleanor Garthwaite, a specialist in Forum Auctions Editions and Works on Paper department, said: “We are thrilled to be offering these four works in our upcoming Spring Selection auction to raise money for The Margate School in Kent. Each artwork has been generously donated by the artist to support this important art school and its creative community. The Margate School is driving fundraising so that they may offer bursaries to students and can continue to make the arts accessible to everyone. They rely heavily on donations and we hope that this cause will encourage strong bidding on the day”.

Among the three other artworks being offered to raise funds for the school, is a work by the musician, songwriter and former frontman of the band The Libertines, Pete Doherty (b. 1979). Founded by Doherty and Carl Barat, The Libertines band was active between 1997-2004 and achieved numerous chart-topping positions. Their self-titled second studio album was voted the second best album of the year by NME magazine in 2004.

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Oui D’Accord Bien Sur by Pete Doherty (b. 1979)

Estimate £1,000-£2,000

While always remaining a musician, singer and songwriter Doherty broadened his creative repertoire, branching out into writing and art. In 2006 Doherty published his journals with Orion books. The culminating title The Books of Albion: The Collected Writings of Peter Doherty, was released in 2007 and included personal drawings, poetry and photos amassed throughout his career. In the same year Doherty exhibited his paintings for the first time at London’s Bankrobber Gallery to great acclaim. More recently the Janinebeangallery in Berlin curated an exhibition of Doherty’s art, lyrics and artefacts titled ‘Contain Yourself (seriously)’, which opened in September 2022.

The painting being offered in the sale, titled Oui D’Accord Bien Sur was created by Doherty in 2011 and is a mixed media work featuring a range of motifs, such as song lyrics, ghostly outlined figures and a syringe on a white canvas. The work raises questions around the subject of addiction, which Doherty admits to have personally faced in his lifetime. The work carries an estimate of £1,000-£2,000.