The textured surface of this work is composed of layers of cut and taped paper and muddled opaque watercolours. The use of text within this painted collage, such as the title “Africa”, suggests the Pop Art influences in Larry Rivers’s later work. Rivers was an American painter, sculptor and jazz musician based in New York. His lifelong fascination with Africa led him to travel to the continent between 1967 and 1968 to film the documentary “Africa and I.”

Dr Mark Ian Alastair Hunter (1909-1983); bequeathed to Miss Diana E.M. Hunter; Hunter Bequest 1984

Drawings Gallery Display - Unseen, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 15/01/2015-29/03/2015

The Hunter Collection of Twentieth Century Masters, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 10/10/1987-03/06/1988

Larry Rivers: works of the 50's and 60's, Gimpel Fils Gallery, London, 05/10/1976-30/10/1976

Watermark: Watermark: Recto, lower right corner, blindstamped: double-line letters “US”.

Label: Removed from a former mount or frame and now in the file: printed in black ink on a sticker: “CONTEMPORARY ART / 06/12/84 / WADDINGTON GALLERIES LTD / LOT NO 662 / PN 439457 PL A/C NO 708198 //”; printed in black ink on a sticker: “Colour / B & W / Neg. No. 17 JUL 1984 //”; printed in black ink and surrounded by four green frames: “Ernest Wheatley / Ltd. / PICTURE FRAMER / 45 Maddox Street, / London, W1R 9LA / Tel. 01-491-3570 //”; printed in red ink on a sticker and filled in with black ballpoint: “Rees Martin Art Services Ltd / UNIT 3 129-131 COLDHARBOUR LANE / LONDON SE5 9NY / Telephone: 01-274-5555 / Telex: 8812523 / Rivers. / 0306 //”; printed and typewritten in black ink adjacent to a red symbol mostly torn away: “GIMPEL FILS GALLERY 30 Davies Street London W1Y 1LG 01-493-2488 / Artist LARRY RIVERS Stock No / Title Africa & Animals / Opus No Date 1964 / Size in 11 ½ x 9 ½ / Medium collage on paper cm. / Exhibition Gimpel FIls Oct. 1976 No 26 / [torn away] Date Oct 1976 //”.

Collector's mark: none.

Inscription: Recto, all within the drawing: upper centre: “AFRICA”; upper left, graphite: “GHANA”; left of centre: CONGO”; right centre edge, graphite, signed by the artist: “Rivers”. Verso: upper centre, graphite, signed and dated by the artist: “Africa + Animals” / Rivers ’62 //”; lower left, red crayon, underlined: “8”; lower right, graphite, circled: “1”; lower centre, graphite: “37 x 42”; lower left corner and lower centre edge, graphite: “Silver 18 x 15 ½”.