Painted during Bryan Kneale’s important early figurative period, 'The Brass Bedstead II' stands alongside his 1950s paintings of notable sitters and scenes, which established his reputation as a painter before he turned to welding and three-dimensional form in the early 1960s. Born on the Isle of Man in 1930, Kneale was educated at the Royal Academy Schools and awarded the prestigious Rome Prize. He was deeply influenced by his time in Italy, particularly the classical architecture of Paestum and the psychological charge of Pompeii, as well as by Futurist and Metaphysical painting.

On returning to London he developed a distinctive palette-knife technique, building his compositions through overlapping strokes and scrapes that give his paintings their dense, sculptural surface. This powerful large-scale canvas combines strong structure with expressive handling, creating a psychologically charged scene that reflects Kneale’s early fascination with the human figure and emotional tension. Rare and unique, 'The Brass Bedstead II' offers a compelling insight into the foundations of one of Britain’s leading post-war sculptors.

Bryan Kneale has exhibited widely both within the UK and internationally and his work can be found in many prestigious public collections including the Tate Collection; The British Museum; The Natural History Museum, London; The Arts Council of Great Britain; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Victoria, S. Australia; Museum of Modern Art, Sao Paolo, Brazil, and the National Gallery of New Zealand.