Flushing

Flushing (Vlissingen) is a harbour town at the mouth of the River Sheldt, the entrance to the port of Antwerp. From the 20th to the 25th of May, 1939 Richard sailed on SS Harrogate out of Hull to Antwerp, Dunkirk and St Malo, making sketches along the way. It was a risky venture considering war seemed immanent, but he came back with material that stood him in good stead when he became an official war artist and painted the Dunkirk evacuation.

29 May 1939
Started painting Flushing (20x24) for a show by French and English in Australia.

The painting remained in the UK, we presume because of the onset of the war, and was exhibited twice at the Redfern before being bought by a private collector Miss C. Stanhope, who loaned it back to the Redfern in 1943 for a third showing. We have no details, but it seems the painting was then sold on to Lt. Robert Harling RN. Harling owned several Eurichs and loaned one, The Galilee, to the same 1943 show. 

When the Harling collection was sold by Christie's in 2009, 'Flushing' was retitled 'Antwerp'. However the lot was withdrawn before the sale.