Kenneth Partridge collection set to sell

The personal collection of Kenneth Partridge (1926-2015), the interior designer and influential tastemaker who was best known for his re-decoration of John Lennon’s 22-room mansion, will go under the hammer at Bonhams this month in their Bonhams’ Collections sale running online from April 26 to May 8.

Partridge had previously designed the interiors of Beatles manager Brian Epstein’s home, and later decorated Ringo Starr’s Marylebone flat – with purple watered-silk wallpaper and blue silk curtains. He also fitted out The Beatles’ nearby Apple boutique.

His collection reflects his life-long interest in the world of interiors, with an important array of works by the artists and set decorators Martin Battersby and Eugene Berman.

Highlights of the collection include:

• Tony Bevan R.A. (British, born 1951), Self Portrait (Neck), PC888. Charcoal, pigment and acrylic on canvas, 86 x 58cm. Estimate: £8,000-10,000
• Pierre Soulages (French, 1919-2022), Lithographie n˚3. Lithograph, 1957, on Arches wove paper, signed and numbered 80/200 in pencil, 630 x 475mm. Estimate: £5,000 – 7,000.
• Graham Sutherland O.M. (British, 1903-1980), Eight Plates, from A Bestiary and Some Correspondences. Eight lithographs in colours, 1965-1968, on wove paper, each signed and variously numbered from the edition of 70, 640 x 480mm. Estimate: £3,500 – 4,500.
• Martin Battersby (British, 1914-1982), Still life with Chinese masks and fans. Estimate: £800 – 1,200.