Exclusive:'Lost' Joan Eardley painting discovered in charity shop in England returns home
The “dark and unassuming” landscape could have been painted by no one else
A ‘lost’ Joan Eardley painting discovered in a charity shop has returned to Scotland after a little detective work.
The painting was donated to the shop in the East Midlands as part of a house clearance, with the shop manager helping to unravel the significance of the “dark and unassuming” landscape with the help of an Edinburgh gallery.
A “worn and fragmentary” label on the back of the painting read only “Summer, Joan, Exhibited, The Scottish Gallery”.
The charity shop manager, intrigued by the painting’s story, phoned the gallery, based in Dundas Street, where a search of its archives was then undertaken by gallery director Tommy Zyw.
After searching through its historic day books, Mr Zyw uncovered a handwritten entry from May 1961 recording the sale of a painting titled Summer Fields by Joan Eardley.
The possibility that the record related to the painting was a compelling one, with the work retrieved and brought to Edinburgh for inspection.
From the moment it was unwrapped, its authenticity was clear. The surface, the handling and the authority of the mark all pointed unmistakably to Eardley, Mr Zyw said.
Painted in Catterline, in Aberdeenshire, where Eardley lived from the 1950s until her death in 1963, Mr Zyw described the work as “deeply observed and quietly powerful work, rooted in the landscape that she loved and defined her practice”.
Conservation brought the work back to life, revealing an atmospheric landscape. A corner of a farmer’s field is caught in the golden light of late September, with the foreground alive with Eardle’s typical textured grasses and seed heads.
The painting has recently been acquired by a distinguished collector of Scottish art, with the charity now earning £29,000 from the sale, which will directly support medical research in the UK.
Tommy Zyw, Director of The Scottish Gallery commented: “This story speaks of the enduring power of Joan Eardley’s painting and of the role of careful stewardship, archives, and expertise in bringing such works back into the public arena. From Joan Eardley painting this work in Catterline, its sale in 1961, decades enjoyed privately then its arrival on the charity shop’s shelf, to the phone call that started its return to Scotland; we have been proud to support Summer Fields on its continuing journey.”
The painting was unveiled by The Scottish Gallery at the British Art Fair in September 2025, where it attracted significant attention, and was later exhibited at the gallery on Dundas Street, Edinburgh.
Since first exhibiting Joan Eardley’s work in 1955, The Scottish Gallery said it had played a central role in shaping and sustaining the artist’s reputation through scholarship, exhibitions, and careful placement in major private and public collections.
Born in West Sussex, Ms Eardley became synonymous with Scotland after moving north with her mother and sister during World War II. She had a studio in Townhead, Glasgow, where she focussed on capturing local children. Later, she split her time with the city and her Aberdeenshire bolthold by the sea.
Eardley built up a big following in the UK during her lifetime, with an international reputation building following her death from breast cancer, aged just 42..
The story of Summer Fields has emerged as a new exhibition unfolds at Modern Two, the National Galleries of Scotland, which brings together over 30 works by Eardey, alongside paintings from the national collection.
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