Keith Vaughan’s Theseus and the Minotaure (Interior at Minos or Theseus), 1950, oil on canvas.
Theseus and the Minotaure (1950), the largest oil on canvas ever produced by artist Keith Vaughan (1912-77) outside of publicly commissioned works, is on offer at Osborne Samuel this month.
The 5 x 7ft (1.52 x 2.13m) oil on canvas was completed in 1950 during the Arts Council’s drive to have artists produce large-scale, heroic works for the Festival of Britain year (1951). Enormous canvases, paints and materials were distributed to artists for free, with the stipulation that works would be a minimum of 3ft 9in x 5ft (1.14 x 1.52m).