La Crêperie Bretonne By Lilian Colbourn

Lilian Victoria Epworth Colbourn (British, 1897–1967) | ‘La Crêperie Bretonne’ 

An exceptional oil on board by Lilian Colbourn entitled La Crêperie Bretonne, Paris. Signed 'COLBOURN' lower right.

This painting represents a significant departure from Colbourn’s better-known topographical and maritime studies of the North Yorkshire coast. Executed circa 1958, this sophisticated canvas represents an important milestone in her career, demonstrating how seamlessly her celebrated Northern expressionism could adapt to the cosmopolitan subject matter of post-war Europe.

The work reveals a synthesis of European Expressionism and British mid-century abstraction. Her sophisticated palette beautifully balances low-key tones with strategic, luminous accents of cadmium yellow and ochre. This optical contrast gives the canvas a remarkably dynamic presence, ensuring the sombre, smoky interior atmosphere remains vibrant and alive. The painting functions as a masterful study of space, light, and movement, perfectly encapsulating the critical assessment of her contemporary, the eminent art critic Eric Newton, who identified her style as a uniquely "turbulent vision".

Condition: Very good original condition. 

Frame: Height 92.5cm x Width 77.5cm x Depth 7cm. Picture: Height 74cm x 59cm.

Lilian Victoria Epworth Colbourn (British, 1897–1967)

Lilian Colbourn was a fiercely independent voice in mid-century British Expressionism, renowned for her raw, gestural brushwork and heavily textured canvases. Born in Lincolnshire, she went on to study painting at the Bury School of Art under Joseph Knight and later refined her craft under the portraitist Emmanuel Levy. 

Colbourn spent her most celebrated, productive years based out of the storm-battered North Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes. Despite her coastal isolation, her artistic output routinely captured the attention of the London avant-garde; legendary Modern British masters Paul and John Nash were early champions of her work when she exhibited at the Berkeley Galleries. 

In 1947, her painting Fisherwomen, Staithes was selected for the prestigious Paris Salon. Her uncompromising style won her widespread critical acclaim in the 1950s, with the eminent art critic Eric Newton describing her in The Listener (1953) as "passionate, lyrical, utterly sincere – determined to express her turbulent vision with the utmost directness." During this peak era, her paintings were exhibited alongside major figures of British Modernism, including Barbara Hepworth, Terry Frost, and Henry Moore. Today, her works are highly sought after by collectors re-evaluating the critical contributions of post-war British women artists.