Since 1998 three large paintings have served as a constant backdrop to Clinton Pugh’s life, hanging first in his Oxford restaurant and later in his family home.
For decades, Pugh, the father of the actress Florence Pugh, overlooked the rising value of the works, which he had bought for £2,000 from an unknown graduate artist called Sacha Jafri.
On April 23, these same paintings will be put on to the market for the first time at an inaugural exhibition for a new gallery in central London, the Chiaroscuro, where they are expected to sell for millions.
Clinton Pugh with two of his paintings by Sacha Jafri, Mechanics of the Soul, left, and Reflections of the Soul, right Murray Sanders for The sunday Times
Sara Ezen, the gallery’s founder, said it was “open to serious offers” for the works.
“Given that his work [The Journey of Humanity] sold at a charity auction for $62 million and that his most lucratively privately sold piece was for $1.4 million, it could well reach a high price point,” she added.
Today, Jafri is one of the most expensive living painters, his work collected by the Obamas, Sir Paul McCartney and the royal family. His paintings will be displayed at the Chiaroscuro alongside new and original works by several critically acclaimed artists, including Banksy.
Pugh with his third painting, Eternal Journey
The decision to sell is bittersweet but necessary for Pugh, 67, a designer and restaurateur. After a gruelling few years battling the fallout of the pandemic and disputes with the local council over low-traffic neighbourhoods, which Pugh claims cost him his restaurant empire and his pension, he is looking for a fresh start.
“I’ve worked ridiculously hard all my life … I’d love to wake up and have a studio myself like Sacha,” he said. “Any extra money would be extremely helpful to get me to my studio in the sun, overlooking the sea, maybe in Spain or Greece.”
He knows he was fortunate to come into possession of Jafri’s early work but insists the artist was also lucky.
Daily Briefing newsletter
Get our top stories and exclusive analysis sent straight to your inbox every morning.
Sign up with one click
“Let’s think how lucky he was: don’t forget it’s 1998 and I paid him £2,000. This is an artist and he could be nothing and it’s only the fact that he’s become successful that it’s a talking point,” he said. “I paid what was fair for three paintings from an unknown artist and that was a lot of money then.”
In 1998 at the Grand Café on Oxford’s High Street, Pugh was approached by a confident young man from the nearby Ruskin School of Art.
“This young gentleman was waiting outside trying to speak to me because he wanted to display his paintings for sale in the Grand Café. I explained to him the walls were full of mirrors, but I had another restaurant, the Lemon Tree.”
After four weeks of exhibition, the young Jafri needed a quick sale. “He said, ‘I’m really short of money at the moment. If I drop the price a bit, will you buy them?’” Pugh agreed, writing the cheque out to the artist’s mother, he recalled.
For Pugh, the paintings were a fitting nod to the creative lives of his family, who he compares to “the Von Trapps [but] somewhat more talented”. Florence, 30, is an Oscar-nominated actress, Toby Sebastian, 34, is a musician and actor, Arabella, 40, is a singer-songwriter, and Raffaela, 22, is an actress-turned-sailor.
Pugh with his daughter Florence
“[The paintings] graced our walls during the whole time the children were growing up,” Pugh said, adding that he had recently watched a video Florence posted on Instagram, playing her guitar with one of the Jafri works visible in the background. “Florence is an incredible artist — I’m looking at three pots she’s made right now that are absolutely stunning.”
But, he continued, “The most important thing, as I always say to all of them: it doesn’t matter how successful they are, the most important thing is that they’re decent human beings. And they are. They are four incredible children.”
Last March, Jafri and Pugh reconnected via Instagram. Pugh visited Jafri’s Dubai studio while en route to New Zealand to visit Florence on the set of East of Eden, a forthcoming TV series adapted from John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel. Jafri explained the meanings behind the works he had spent three years on as a student and said they were inspired by Kafka.
Pugh at Sacha Jafri’s studio in Dubai
Regardless of how much the paintings sell for, Pugh said it isn’t just about funding a “shack by the sea”. He has pledged to donate 20 per cent of the proceeds to an addiction support charity, a cause which is personal to him.
“My poor mother had a hysterectomy directly after my younger brother was born … The poor woman didn’t know how to deal with it,” he said. “She suffered badly from alcoholism because of it. And in the catering industry, it’s well known that people end up becoming alcoholics or drug addicts. I have witnessed that, and it’s very sad. People need support.”
Pugh hopes that the paintings will not only make money to support his future and those enduring addiction but will also find a home where they can be enjoyed by the public.
“Art needs to be seen,” he said. “It’s a bit like a restaurant. The joy is in people enjoying the atmosphere you’ve created.”