A foretaste of summer captured on canvas by a leading Yorkshire painter will be an enticing attraction at The Pavilions of HarrogateDecorative, Antiques & Art Fair from 7 th – 9 th February 2025. A typical warm and sunny summer’s afternoon in the Yorkshire countryside depicted by Herbert Royle (1870-1958) will be one of the many fine paintings on display at the first prestige art and antiques event of 2025 in north of England. Renowned for his Yorkshire pictures, Royle portrayed the area in
all its seasons, and his harvest views and snow scenes are highly sought after. He often painted ‘en plein air’ and went in search of subjects to paint with his easel strapped to his bicycle and carrying a hot potato in his pocket to keep his hands warm. At the fair, Haymaking, Nessfield, (right) in oil on canvas, captures the countryside at its summer best. It will be on sale from local Yorkshire dealers Walker Galleries, with a ticket price of £5,500.

In contrast will be a northern city view – a superb painting by the Harrogate artist Brian Shields, known as Braaq, titled Hiding behind the Steps! (left). Born in Liverpool, Shields left school in 1968 and moved to Harrogate to become a trainee chef in a local hotel. He developed his painting happened following wider success. To brighten the hotel, he painted a mural and signed it BRAAQ. This stirred a great deal of interest, but the identity of the artist remained a mystery until a local journalist identified Brian Shields as the painter.

Brian Shields never looked back, holding his first exhibition in 1974. In 1977 he was invited to hold his first of four exhibitions in London’s West End. It was after this exhibition that The Times; described him as “one of the six most successful artists in England”. In 1997 at the age of 46 Brian Shields died, leaving a contribution to the art world which ranks him among the leading artists in the country. Behind the Steps! in oils on board, will be on sale from Rowles Gallery with a ticket price of £17,500. The Harrogate fair, which has been running at the popular Pavilions venue, part of the Yorkshire Showground, has been running for more than thirty years and attracts visitors from across the north of England and Scotland. A vast range of high-quality art and antiques will be for sale from more than 45 specialist dealers. Prices range from less than £50 for a simple Georgian drinking glass to more than £20,000 for the finest antique furniture, silver and modern and traditional paintings.
Yorkshire antique dealers including Jack Shaw who offers fine English and Scottish silver, Mark Buckley Antiques with formal English antique furniture and Ellis Fine Art specialising in oil paintings and town furniture.
Other specialists offer fine jewellery, pottery and porcelain, 20 th century glass, Mid-Century Modern art and design, period lighting, Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Public Admission is £7.50. (£5.00 in advance from www.cooperevents.com)
Open Times: Friday – Saturday 11.00am-5.00pm, Sunday 11.00am-4.30pm
The fair is organised by Cooper Events, Somerset TA8 1BU. Tel: 01278 784912.
www.cooperevents.com. info@cooperevents.com
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