Lot 78

Dora Berliner, New Zealand (c.1905-1992)
Thence by descent

Dora Berliner was a skilled dressmaker who ran a fashion boutique in Little Baker Street, London in the 1930s. Following the breakdown of her first marriage to Syd Plisky, Dora formed a relationship with artist Roger Hilton, who painted her portrait in the present lot dated 1936. By 1936 Hilton had completed his studies at the Academy Schools and had just started to exhibit with the London Group. This was also the year of his first solo exhibition at the Bloomsbury Gallery, London. His early works in the 1930s are documented to have leaned towards realism, featuring portrait and figurative compositions, before he moved to Paris and was profoundly influenced by the burgeoning abstract movements. Upon returning to England after the war, Hilton emerged as a leading figure in British abstraction during the 1950s. Interestingly, the present lot also features one of Hilton's abstract compositions verso.

By 1950 Dora had married artist Eugene Fancott (1905-2010) and they moved to New Zealand to be with Lilian, Dora's daughter from her first marriage. In New Zealand, Fancott worked as a commercial artist and became highly regarded with his work being exhibited at the National Art Gallery in Wellington. Fancott painted many portraits of his wife which are still held by members of the family today.

© Roger Hilton/Copyright Agency, 2026