Clifford Harper is a "worker, illustrator and militant anarchist" who has more than made his significant and lasting impression on the art world with his outstanding and eye popping illustrations over the last 40 years! Born in Chiswick in 1949 to a mother who was a cook and father who was a postman their was no art exposure firsthand in the family. Harper got expelled from school at the age of 13 and in 1967 moved to a commune before staring his own commune on Eel Pie Island in 1969. This same year he contracted TB and was in the hospital for 3 months which left his lungs and heart badly damaged resulting in a plague of health related problems his entire life. 

It was not until the early 1970's that Harper became a prolific illustrator artist for many radical, anarchist, alternative and mainstream publications and organizations. Clifford was heavily influenced by George Grosz, Felix Vallotton, Fernand Leger, Eric Gill and most of all by the woodcuts of Frans Masereel. Harpers original illustrations are highly cherished and incredibly scarce rarely ever making an appearance on the market due to the fact the majority are held in the private collections of the publishers who he worked for. 

This original pen and ink composition mimics his beloved style of early 20th century woodblocks in the stark black and white style. This explicit illustration is entitled "A Prostitutes Story" and depicts the daily routine that the job entails. Harper cleverly tell the story using 4 separate scenes from left to right that first show the woman with a uneasy expression, then a man standing in the shadow from afar. In the third image block we see the woman has approached the man in his car exchanging words to where the final square shows the two having intercourse in the front seat of the car. This pen and ink drawing shows the brutal and disturbing reality that so many woman have face and as we can see in her expressions through out this story she is not happy with any of it. In the last scene the woman's face is screaming with helplessness and anguish.

 The condition is excellent but their is a couple spots of foxing seen in the woman's leg in the final picture as well as her face and neck in the first. Their is discoloration to the paper, some areas that appear to have had some minimal ink smear and a mark from a water drop on her leg. This work was originally purchased in 1993 in London directly from Harper for roughly 2,000 USD. It was acquired by a collector of erotic art and since then has never been seen on the market until now. Two other original compositions of Clifford Harper were in this collection and all three are now for sale. If you have any questions please feel free to ask prior to purchasing!

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