Lost Ravilious & Garwood Woodblocks Saved From eBay and Returned to UK Galleries
A rare cache of 27 woodblocks carved by British artists Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood has been rescued after unexpectedly appearing for sale on eBay. The blocks—created between 1930 and 1950 and missing since the 1950s—were spotted by family members, including the artists’ daughter and granddaughter, who quickly alerted the Art Loss Register.
Believed to have been lent to a publisher and never returned, the blocks may have later ended up in a charity shop before surfacing online. Once listed on the Art Loss Register’s database, the sale was halted and negotiations began.
Now safely recovered, the blocks have been entrusted to The Fry Art Gallery in Suffolk and Towner Eastbourne, two institutions with major Ravilious and Garwood holdings. Thirteen blocks will go on display at The Fry when it reopens in April, while the rest are already viewable alongside Ravilious’ tools in Towner’s new dedicated space. Curators say handling the finely carved boxwood pieces offers a rare glimpse into the creation of some of the artists’ most beloved prints.
