Home / Arts and Entertainment / Lost Eardley Painting Found in Charity Shop
Lost Eardley Painting Found in Charity Shop
25 Oct
Summary
- A lost painting by Joan Eardley discovered in a charity shop.
- The artwork sold for £29,500 to fund UK medical research.
- The painting was identified via a label on its frame.
A significant artwork by Scottish artist Joan Eardley, missing for decades, was recently discovered in an East Midlands charity shop. The painting, "Summer Fields," was accepted as part of a house clearance donation. Staff at the shop found a damaged label on the frame that read, "Summer, Joan, Exhibited, The Scottish Gallery," prompting them to contact the Edinburgh-based gallery.
Following an inquiry from the charity shop, The Scottish Gallery's director, Tommy Zyw, verified the painting's identity through the gallery's historical sales records. "Summer Fields" was originally sold by Eardley in May 1961. After being safely transported to Edinburgh, its authenticity was confirmed, and professional cleaning revealed a depiction of the coastal village of Catterline in Aberdeenshire.
The returned painting was exhibited by The Scottish Gallery, first at the British Art Fair in September 2025 and then at its main premises. It was then sold on behalf of the charity shop to a collector of Scottish art for £29,500. This sale marked the most valuable item ever sold by the charity, with all funds directed towards medical research in the UK.
This rediscovery coincides with a major exhibition of Eardley's work, "Joan Eardley | The Nature of Painting," currently on display at Modern Two in Edinburgh until June 28, 2026. Eardley, who died in 1963 at age 42, is remembered as a prominent British painter of the mid-20th century, known for her depictions of Glasgow and the Kincardineshire coast.
