Bombardment of the coast near Trapani (1943)
Photo: national Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London      
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Presented by the War Artists Advisory Committee 1947 (CC BY-NC-ND)

Bombardment of the coast near Trapani

1943

Oil on canvas
76.2 x 127 cm

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London


Seascapes | Coastal Scenes Narrative Official War Artist Commissioned Works Wartime Bonfires | Flames | Smoke All Works in Public Collections Ships | Boats | Harbours | Ports Birds Eye View Works | 1940 to 1949 Richard Eurich (1903-1992) Visionary Artist The Art of Richard Eurich

More details...

Recto: Signed and dated lower right: R Eurich. 1943

Aka: Bombardment of the coast near Trapani [NMM]; Capital Ships Bombard Salerno [Art UK]; Bombardment of the Coast Near Trapani, Sicily, by HMS Howe and King George V, 11/12 July 1943 [IWM]; Bombardment of the Coast Near Trapani, Sicily, by HMS King George V and Howe, 11/12 July 1943 [Southampton]; Bombardment by the Coast at Salerno by HM Ships King George V and Duke of York [Bradford, 1979]; Bombardment of Salerno by Capital Ships [RE sales diary]

Italy Mediterranean Salerno Sicily HMS Valiant HMS Warspite NMM National Maritime Museum WW2 WWII World War 2 World War II boats ships bombardment explosions guns firing public collection sea war war artist warships wartime

See notes on the NMM and Art UK websites linked in References below.

REP

3rd January 1944: Started ‘Bombardment of Salerno’ by battleships Howe and George V (30x50) High key and bright colour

31st March 1944: To London with ‘Bombardment of Salerno’, ‘Fortresses over Southampton’, to Admiralty. ‘Night Raid on Portsmouth’ to the RA. Tried to find frame for ‘Cecilie’

RE diary entry

Well, it was when the allied forces were landing in south Italy that a covering bombardment from the sea was made by capital ships: they asked me would I try to do it.

This is a very difficult thing because bombardments like that take [place over] so many miles that not very much was visible actually. But I did something imaginative with it. When the shell left the guns of the ship, the vacuum caused by the shell going through the air may have been invisible, I don’t know, but I tried to make something of it.

Provenance

COMMISSIONED | 1943

by the War Artists' Advisory Committee

GIFTED | 1947

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

by the War Artists' Advisory Committee; accession number BHC1566

EXHIBITED | 1979

"Naval Art Exhibition", Suffolk Galleries, [location unknown]

EXHIBITED | 25th Nov 1979 to 20th Jan 1980

"Richard Eurich, RA - A Retrospective Exhibition" - Cartwright Hall Gallery, Bradford District Museums and Galleries, Bradford    (toured Glasgow, London, Southampton)

Cat 30; Bradford and Southampton venues only

EXHIBITED | 26th Sep 1991 to 12th Jan 1992

"Richard Eurich - From Dunkirk to D-Day" - Imperial War Museum, London, UK

Cat 28

EXHIBITED | 28th Jan to 13th Mar 1994

"The Edge of all the Land: Richard Eurich 1903-1992" - Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton    (toured to Manchester, Bradford, Ipswich)

Cat 33, illustrated

CAN YOU HELP?

If you can help add to this timeline, please get in touch below.

Provenance:

  • COMMISSIONED - 1943 - by the War Artists' Advisory Committee
  • GIFTED - 1947 - National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
    by the War Artists' Advisory Committee; accession number BHC1566

Exhibitions:

  • 1979 - "Naval Art Exhibition", Suffolk Galleries, [location unknown]
  • 25th Nov 1979 to 20th Jan 1980 - "Richard Eurich, RA - A Retrospective Exhibition", Cartwright Hall Gallery, Bradford District Museums and Galleries, Bradford    (toured Glasgow, London, Southampton)
    Cat 30; Bradford and Southampton venues only
  • 26th Sep 1991 to 12th Jan 1992 - "Richard Eurich - From Dunkirk to D-Day", Imperial War Museum, London, UK
    Cat 28
  • 28th Jan to 13th Mar 1994 - "The Edge of all the Land: Richard Eurich 1903-1992", Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton    (toured to Manchester, Bradford, Ipswich)
    Cat 33, illustrated

Notes:

  • None recorded.

Does this page contain inaccurate or missing information that you could help us with, or do you simply want to leave a comment?

References: