Two Hidden Artworks, Francis McCracken

Beneath the surface of Anemones (Lot 11) lay two complete earlier works, each more traditional in treatment than the last. Together they chart Francis McCracken’s evolution as an artist, from academic naturalism to a confident modernist voice shaped by European colour and form.

Born in Northern Ireland, McCracken trained at Auckland’s Elam School of Art before serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War I, where he was wounded at Ypres. He continued his studies at the Royal Scottish Academy and later in Paris under the Cubist master André Lhôte. The influence of both Cubism and the Scottish Colourists, particularly S.J. Peploe, is evident in his structured compositions and luminous palette.
The rediscovery of these layered canvases offers rare insight into McCracken’s working process and artistic restlessness. Revisiting this still life composition across multiple iterations, he translated a traditional motif into a study of geometry, light and renewal.