Unseen on the market since 1946, a view of Sloane Square (right) by Robert Buhler (1916-89) raced to £5000 at Ewbank’s (22.5% buyer’s premium).
One of a series of London cityscapes the Modern British artist painted in the 1940s, the 2ft 11in x 2ft 4in (90 x 71cm) oil on canvas in a slightly grubby condition had been estimated at £800-1200 in the July 26 sale in Surrey.
While he also painted views of Green Park, Piccadilly Circus and Carlyle Square, which were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1947, his London pictures from this period appear rarely on the secondary market.