A TELEVISION art specialist has hailed the work of a late Inverclyde artist on a popular BBC show and revealed that one of her paintings could fetch up to £5,000 at auction.
Much of Dorothy Steel’s work was inspired by her time spent in Port Glasgow, Greenock, Gourock and elsewhere along the River Clyde.
Steel, born in 1927, grew up between Glasgow and Skelmorlie and studied at Glasgow School of Art after World War 2.
The artist passed away in 2002, but several of her works remain on display at the Watt Institution in Greenock.
In an episode of Antiques Roadshow, filmed at Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, expert Frances Christie was presented with one of Steel’s riverside paintings.
It had been purchased for just £5 by a couple who were taken by the 'typical west of Scotland scene' when they discovered it in a Shawlands charity shop 20 years ago.
The woman joked: “I think we probably paid more for the taxi to take it home.”
Frances said the piece was one of the best examples of Steel’s work she had ever seen and said the artist should ‘really be so much more well known than she is’.
She added: “You can tell she had this amazing facility with colour and light and was clearly drawn to the landscapes that she grew up with.
"It’s a scene which has kind of disappeared now.
If you tuned in to tonight's episode of Antiques Roadshow, you would have had the opportunity to admire a painting by the Greenock artist, Dorothy Steel (1927-2002).
— The Watt Institution (@WattInstitution) January 7, 2024
We are lucky to have several works by Steel in our collection.
🖼️ The Rear of Chalmers Street, Greenock c.1973 pic.twitter.com/FaPyQjvyEU
"I don’t know whether those tenements are still there but in terms of social history, going back to the middle of the last century when Steel was painting, it probably still would have been teeming with activity - whereas today, it’s a very different part of the Clyde."
Frances said Steel’s work rarely appears at auction.
She valued the painting at between £3,000 and £5,000, but the couple who brought it along to be valued wouldn't part with it, saying it is worth ‘a lot more’ to them.
The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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