Watercolor

Basil Ede "The Common Tern" detailed watercolor painting of a bird flying over a body of water. The painting is titled, signed, and dated by the artist in the bottom left corner.

Basil Ede is a British painter and illustrator. His practice has focused almost entirely on painting various birds, depicting over 100 different species in oil and watercolor, similar to the work of noted ornithologist and painter James John Audubon. Born on February 12, 1931 in Epsom, Surrey, Ede went on to serve as a British naval officer. His early paintings attracted the attention of natural history enthusiasts as well as important artistic institutions, leading to a solo exhibition at the National Collection of Fine Arts in 1964. He would have further exhibitions in New York, and subsequently received a commissioned project in 1971 to document all known species of North American fowl, totaling 650 paintings. Ede suffered a stroke in 1989, halfway through the completion of the project, although he has continued painting his signature bird paintings—albeit with his left hand.

H 16.5 in. x W 21.25 in. x D 1 in.

H 9.75 in. x W 15 in.