Medium - Watercolour and Ink on Paper
Size - 4½" x 7" (12cm x 18cm)
Two original ink and watercolour artworks on both sides of a page removed from Stuart Sutcliffe's Liverpool Art School examination notebook from 1960. The piece includes caricatures of members of The Beatles “hidden” within the branches of the tree. Read the Stuart Sutcliffe bio section for further information.
The artworks were the property of the Sutcliffe Estate and sold at Sothebys, London in September 1999. The artworks are also included in the “Stuart” limited edition book that is available for purchase from ourselves in conjunction with this artwork.
Condition: Excellent. There is a small tear near the top of the artwork likely to have been caused by Stuart himself as he pressed his pen firmly against the paper. This does not detract at all from the artwork rather it adds to the story.
The Beatles Tree by Stuart Sutcliffe
Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1940, an acclaimed 20th Century artist best known as the original bass guitarist of The Beatles. Stuart (Stu) Sutcliffe is often referred to as the fifth Beatle although he left the band to pursue his career as a painter, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art with John Lennon. On leaving The Beatles he moved to Germany to continue his studies at the Hamburg State School of Art.