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A STASH of old drawings
apparently the work of a ‘lost’ child prodigy was discovered
this week in Streatham.
Olive Nash had no idea
that a picture on her wall was by 'child prodigy' Naomi V.
Jelish
The tragic life and work of
13-year-old Gravesend native Naomi Jelish is prominently featured
in Charles Saatchi’s gallery at County Hall.
The Saatchi exhibition, organised
by leading Jelish expert John Ivesmail, details the sad events
of the youngster’s life leading up to the mysterious disappearance
of Naomi and her family over a decade ago.
It features artworks and memorabilia
belonging to the young artist that critics and spectators have
labelled ‘amazing’.
Olive and Jim Nash of local
company Nash Antiques visited the gallery last week and were
shocked to find that some of the work on show bore an uncanny
resemblance to a drawing they had on their living room wall.
Olive Nash said, “We saw the
(Saatchi) exhibition and both mentioned that the name sounded
familiar.”
“When we got home we realised
why the name was so familiar!” Jim Nash added, “ We have so
many pictures on our wall at home, but the drawing of a flower
is one of Olive’s favourites so it stuck in her mind. To think
we’ve had it there for so long without knowing who it was by
and what the story behind it was.”
The Nashs also discovered a
folder full of drawings by the child prodigy. Despite their
find, the Nashs have no idea where the folder came from.
“As antique dealers we have
things coming in and out all the time so it’s not uncommon for
us to have things around for years without realising. It just
makes you wonder what else we might have buried under the boxes
and papers.”
The South London Press contacted
the Riflemaker Gallery in London, leading experts and representatives
of the Naomi Jelish body of work.
A gallery spokesman said, “This
is quite a find and these drawings indeed bear all the markings
of being work by Naomi.”
“Many of the drawings contradict
some of Mr. Ivesmail’s conclusions regarding the life and work
of Miss Jelish, so we’ll be taking a closer look and see about
the possibility of creating an exhibition from this recovered
collection.”
The Saatchi Gallery refused
to comment. |
