A PICTURE by celebrated artist Norman Cornish- gifted to a heart surgeon by a famous patient - has sold for a record price.

Two men and a whippet at a bar sold for £14,000 nearly £2,000 more than the previous record for a work on paper by Mr Cornish, who died last August aged 94.

Mr Cornish, of Spennymoor, County Durham, was a miner for 33 years and developed his talent at the pioneering Spennymoor Settlement arts community.

The settlement was set up in 1930 to give mining families access to the arts and its clubs nurtured the talents of people such as Mr Cornish and fellow artist Tom McGuinness.

The record-breaking crayon and chalk picture- just smaller than an A3 sheet of paper- had been owned by another Pitman’s Academy alumni the late author and playwright Sid Chaplin.

Mr Chaplin, of Shildon, County Durham, gave it to a doctor in 1976 after he performed heart surgery on him.

It then passed down through the surgeon’s family and his son put it up for auction at Tennants Auctioneers at Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

A spokesman from the sale said: “Cornish’s paintings offer an insight into everyday life in Spennymoor and the mines, capturing scenes of places and an industry that no longer remain.

“His unerring dedication to his subject and the intimate renditions of the industrial and social history of the North-East is a look and style of work that is highly sought after at the moment.

“This new world record price is testament to his skill and the appeal of Northern artwork.”

Five other pieces by Norman Cornish were sold at Tennants’ spring fine art sale on March 20 and 21 and all exceeded the estimate.

Just last week (Thursday, March 27), a blue plaque was unveiled at the Spennymoor house where Mr Cornish lived and worked for more than 40 years.

It is the latest in a series of tributes to the artist.