Art Funded by you

Brighton Pierrots

Walter Richard Sickert, 1915

© Tate

Sickert suddenly felt he wanted to paint the performance of a holiday theatre troupe called The Brighton Pierrots which he saw on the beach at Brighton in 1915. He went out to watch them every evening for five weeks. Using these drawings he made up a design showing the act under way, with some actors looking on while others performed. They are partly hidden behind the struts of the canopy, and some are cut off by the edge of the painting. There is an extraordinary loneliness in Sickert's later paintings, as if he were looking at a world far away which he could no longer fully join. Extract from an article in the 1995 Art Fund Review by David Frasier Jenkins.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Brighton Pierrots, 1915

Date supported

1995

Medium and material

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

64 x 76 cm

Grant

75000

Total cost

325000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

Art Funded by you FAQs

Why is this object record marked 'archive'?
Where can I see this work of art? Is it on display?
What is Art Fund's purpose?
How is Art Fund funded?
What type of funding do you offer?
What does the acquisition grants programme support and who can apply?
How many works of art has Art Fund helped museums to acquire?
I’m a curator/researcher/arts professional and would like to find out more about this work, how do I get in touch?
I’m a journalist and would like to contact Art Fund about this work, how do I get in touch?
I would like to donate a work of art to a museum. What do I need to do?
I'd like to leave a gift to Art Fund in my will. How can I do this?

Contact us

If you have a question about a work of art in our archive, please contact the Programmes team. We’ll be happy to answer your enquiry.