10/09/2019
NEWS STORY
The Oko Gallery in Guildford, Surrey is to host an exhibition of original motorsport art and F1 memorabilia on the 12th and 13th of September.
The independent gallery will play host to the "Champions Collection" of original motorsport art by renowned fine artist Ben Payne, along with a selection of original Formula One memorabilia provided exclusively by Motorsport Memorabilia.
In addition there will be race used F1 world champion items from a private collection never before seen in public.
The "Champions Collection" showcases the breadth of Ben' Payne's talent with his signature graphic style using principal colours and monochrome to convey the energy, focus, tension and passion of Formula 1.
Among the works on display will be "Lauda, faster...!" a 24 x 18 inch original oil painting on board depicting the legendary Niki Lauda at speed in his 1977 Ferrari 312T2B en route to his second Formula 1 drivers World Championship.
In this study, Ben has captured the raw speed of the Ferrari, which helped Niki secure his second of three championship titles with only 3 race wins, using an inferior chassis to the Lotus team which was starting to develop the ground effect aerodynamics that maximised the Goodyear tyres.
"Tunnel Vision" is an original 16 x 16 inch original oil on board depicting three-time world champion, Jackie Stewart entering the old Monaco tunnel in the rain soaked race en route to victory during his second championship season.
This study masterfully shows the wet outside track conditions and the dry line inside the tunnel with the footlights and cinema type floodlights used in the penultimate year of the old tunnel at Monaco.
In 1971, Jackie Stewart was a household name and the subject of film director Roman Polanski's documentary "Weekend of a Champion" which was filmed over the Monaco weekend.
"French Flair, Italian Spark" is an original 20 x 20 inch original oil on board depicting four-time world champion, Alain Prost at Spa Francorchamps in 1990 driving the Ferrari 640 at speed as he rises from Raidillon over the unsighted brow to enter the long uphill Kemmel straight with sparks flying from the titanium skid block as the suspension is compressed.
Prost brought the coveted number 1 to Ferrari in 1990 as reigning world champion following his epic 1989 championship battle with Ayrton Senna.
This era of F1 was typified by the Senna / Prost bitter rivalry as well as the visceral soundtrack of the Ferrari V12 engine and the simple but beautiful designs of the cars that were often seen showering sparks at speed as captured in this study.
The season ended acrimoniously for Prost as runner up to Senna after the two drivers collided at the first corner of the final round in Suzuka.
"Lap 7" is a stunning original 40 x 20 inch original oil on board depicting the legendary three-time world champion, Ayrton Senna looking into his mirrors during his final lap while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
Imola 1994 will forever be remembered as a dark and tragic weekend for motorsport following the death of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying the day before the race and a terrible accident during Friday practice that injured Senna's countryman and protege, Rubens Barrichello.
On 1st May 1994, motor racing lost a champion, but a legend was born. This stunning original artwork is a fitting tribute to the Brazilian champion
The exhibition will be held at the Oko Gallery, Guildford on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th September and Ben Payne will be accepting private commissions.
To assist with event planning, it would help if you could rsvp to sales@motorsportmemorabilia.com if you wish to join them at the event, where William Wood watches will also be exhibiting their current and upcoming ranges.