Brian Shields "Braaq"

(1951-1997) Born in to a Liverpool family, Brian was a talented artist and his pseudonym evolved from the misspelling of the famous French artist Braque, which was his nick-name at school.

Known for his northern Lowry-esque industrial scenes and his characteristic appearance in all of his own works, his pieces can range from dark atmospheric works with volumes of pathetic fallacy, to amusing pieces filled with joy and life.

Here at Hartleys we currently hold the World record for an auction price attained for one of his works; a horse racing painting seen below which reached a hammer price of £56,000